Hyrule Academy
by Escae
Summary: Zelink high-school AU. Zelda Nohansen thinks moving to a new city might not be so bad, especially when she meets the friendly and somewhat cute boy Link and his loyal friends. But when Zelda is accused of sabotaging Link's grade, Malon swoops in to claim her love, and things take a dark turn with Ganon, the school bully... maybe the prestigious Hyrule Academy is more than it seems.
1. Chapter 1

**Hyrule Academy**

 **by Escae**

 **Hello, welcome to my LoZ AU. I'm still relatively new to writing fanfics so please R &R. I'm a huge Zelink supporter personally so that'll be the ship in this story, but the romance will be short & mild for the first several chapters. In spirit of my first story, I'll try to keep my author's notes short and simple, and leave most of the space on the page up to the story itself. Enjoy!**

 **Sunday – Zelda's POV**

"I said I _don't_ want to go, Dad!" I said for the thousandth time. It sure took a lot to get through that thick skull of Daphnes Nohansen, didn't it?

The thick skull of Daphnes Nohansen turned to face me in the backseat, taking his eyes off the suburban road for a few seconds.

"And I said, you _have_ to go," Dad said in that gravelly baritone of his. "Just because we are moving to Hyrule doesn't mean you stop getting an education."

I wish it did, honestly. "But do I really have to go to the snooty **–** "

"Enough! Impa, please tell our daughter to stop complaining."

My mom, Impa Nohansen, turned around to address me as Dad put his eyes on the road again.

"He's right, honey," she said in her serious but affectionate voice. "The Hyrule Academy is the best place for you in this city, especially with your growing mind."

I groaned. Out of all the annoying things my parents do, bragging about my "intellectual talents" is probably the worst. I mean, I get it, I'm super smart and all. But that doesn't mean I have to go to the most expensive school in Hyrule, right?

Mom turned back around and I slumped even further into the backseat. I didn't want to live here. My life was great in Castle Town, I had plenty of friends, I got good grades, our apartment was small but comfortable. The prospect of a bigger house should have been shot down when you consider that I have to leave behind my entire _life_. But no.

"Look, this is our street," Dad said, trying to sound cheerful. He turned down a one-lane road lined with trees and fairly large modern houses. A sign on the corner read, "Ordon Avenue."

Mom let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, we can start unloading. That was a long car trip, wasn't it?"

I didn't deign to reply. I was too busy sulking and trying to think of ways to sabotage the move-in so that we could just drive the six hours back to Castle Town and rethink all this. My long blond hair blew in front of my face with a gust of wind from the now-rolled-down window, making me even more agitated.

After what seemed like ages, we pulled into the driveway and the dull red sedan that had been our home for the past half-day sputtered to a halt.

"I don't want to help move," I mumbled inaudibly.

"Well, fortunately for you," Mom started (don't ask me how she heard), "there's a boy about your age next door that the realtors mentioned. You should go over and say hi."

What? I didn't know about this. Having a neighbor my age could go one of two ways. Either, I could easily make a new friend and ally for my first day of school tomorrow…

Or I could embarrass myself before I even walk into the school. Not a risk I want to take.

I say as much, and then Dad is suddenly lifting me out the open car door. "You are going to be social, or my name isn't Nohansen."

"Ah! No! Dad! Stop!" It's no use. His massive tree-trunk arms put my feet on the driveway outside our new pale modern home, where hedges fortunately block the neighbors' view of my tantrum.

"Agh, you people are insufferable."

"Yes, sweetie, but it's our job," Mom told me. She was already watching the moving truck pull in behind our car before I could reply. Guess that left me to go see those neighbors, then.

I walked around the head-height hedge surrounding our driveway, peering around the end to an identical driveway and similar modern home to the right of ours. I silently gathered my thoughts. Now was my chance to make a friend before the start of the school day.

 _Don't be an idiot, don't be an idiot._ The thought whirled around in my head. _I can't screw this up._

I walked up the driveway to the small stone front porch, and noticed a pool in the back out of the corner of my eye. _Pool parties,_ Somewhere inside me thought hopefully. _That is, if you manage not to embarrass yourself now._

No answer came from inside the house, but there were lights on, so I knocked again.

"Ack! Coming!" I heard a female voice, slightly younger than mine. _I thought a boy lived here?_ For some reason, that was slightly disappointing. _Oh, stop that! It's not like anyone could have a crush on you anyways._

The door opened and a perky young face peered out at me.

"Hey, can I help you?" she asked.

"I… uh… just moved in next door… and… uh…"

 _Goddesses, I sound like a blubbering idiot._

"Ohhh!" the girl's face lit up even more, if that was possible. She let out a squealing sound. "Oh my gosh, you are gonna love it here! I can't believe I finally…"

I must have been looking at her funny because she started talking much more slowly.

"Sorry. I'm Aryll, and I get very excited when talking to new people."

"It's not a problem." I felt much more confident now that she wasn't talking a thousand words a minute.

"Um, welcome to Ordon Avenue, I guess. We're your neighbors, and I'm looking forward to getting to know you better." Aryll sounded like a different person, much calmer. I preferred this.

"Thanks, me too. Who's we?"

"Huh?"

"You said, 'we' live here."

"Ohhh," she said again, "that'd be me and my brother. I'll get him for you."

She turned around and yelled into the house. "LIIIIINK!" After no response came, she said, he's probably out back, you're welcome to come meet him if you want…"

"Sure." I shrugged. "Better than helping lift furniture next door."

Aryll laughed and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. "Link's probably at the pool. It's just down here."

She began leading me down the driveway to the pool I'd seen a minute earlier. Once we rounded the hedge, we could see some stone bricks arranged in a wide rectangle as a back porch, adjacent to the pool in the back. It's white stone matched that of the outside of the house, and in the sparkling blue water was a boy who looked about my age.

With a splash, he climbed out, dripping water everywhere. Aryll squeaked and jumped back, and I took a step in that direction too.

"Link, you can't do that to our guest," she scolded.

"No, it's okay…" I started, then got a good look at Link.

Woah. I couldn't help but admire how he looked shirtless. Aside from his abs, though, I noticed his extremely unkempt dirty blond hair and large, piercing blue eyes.

"Hey," he said in a friendly but deep tenor, while shaking the water off himself like a wet dog. "Who's the guest?"

The piercing eyes turned to me. After realizing I was numbstruck, Aryll spoke up. "She's our new neighbor, moving in to the left. Her name is… uh…"

I realized I hadn't even told them my name yet. "Sorry," I said, shaking my head. "I'm Zelda."

Link gave me a wolfish grin. "I'd shake your hand, but…"

"Right." I took another step back from the water cascading off him.

"Go, go inside and get cleaned up!" Aryll ushered him through a sliding glass door on the back and he disappeared. She turned to me, flustered.

"Sorry, I didn't think he'd be swimming…"

"It's ok." _I didn't mind… no! Don't think like that, Zelda!_ "So, how old are you guys?"

"Well, I'm fifteen," Aryll mused, "and Link's seventeen."

 _Ah._ So he was my age.

"But most of the time I feel like I have to be the mature one, honestly."

We both chuckled. "So," I asked, "where are your parents?"

Aryll's face immediately darkened for some reason. "Oh, they're, uh, on a business trip. They won't be back for a while."

She turned slightly away from me. _Was it something I said?_

Her face went back to its normally perky state. "Can I get you something to eat? That road trip must've starved you."

My protests were drowned out. "No, no, I insist, and besides, Link will be down soon." Aryll led me through the sliding glass doors into a large kitchen area. A granite countertop at the end was connected to a colorful living room with a huge TV playing some commercials. A hallway led to what looked like an office and some carpeted stairs went to, probably, the bedrooms.

As Aryll led me to the countertop, she mentioned that our new house was almost exactly like theirs. _That's good, because this is really nice._

I sat one one of the stools and Aryll pulled out some cheese, crackers, and veggies. I heard a door open and close, and Link's hair came bouncing down the stairs.

"Hey there," he said to me, still grinning broadly. I couldn't help but smile back, he was infectious.

"So, you're the new neighbors, huh?" He gave me a quick look up and down. "You look about my age."

"Seventeen," I nodded.

"Cool! I can already tell we're gonna be good friends." _Did he ever stop smiling?_

"I might need some." I said, remembering why I came over here in the first place. "I hear Hyrule Academy can be unforgiving when you don't know anyone."

"No way!" Aryll cut in. "Link, she's going to HA!"

"Cool," he said again. "Wow, good thing you came only two weeks into the school year. Otherwise, you'd have a lot of work to catch up on."

That didn't make me feel better. I was already dreading the huge workload and strict teachers that were trademarks of the prestigious Hyrule Academy.

"Well, if you want me to show you around Monday, just come over here in the morning. It's a lot, going to a new school, but you look like you'll do fine."

Wow. Seriously, I think that bright smile is permanently fused onto his face.

"Thanks." His compliment makes me blush a little. I know I complain about my parents talking about my "intellectual talents" but coming from someone else makes me glow with pride. I've already made two friends, so maybe it won't be so bad here.

I wave goodbye to Link and Aryll and step out of their house and into ours. They were right, it does look exactly like theirs. We bought it pre-furnished, so the only things we had to bring in the moving truck are personal belongings and some essentials.

Mom leaned over the rail at the top of the staircase. "Isn't it great? I knew we made the right choice."

"Yeah, Mom, it's not as bad as I thought." I rolled my eyes.

"Stop that," she scolded. "How were the neighbors?"

"Great! They were super nice and gave me food and they have a pool and there's a guy my age and-"

"Woah, woah, slow down, sweetie!" Mom chuckled. "I didn't know you were that excited about your friends! But I'm glad you made some so quickly for the school day tomorrow."

Speaking of which, the sun was starting to go down. It was about 5 o'clock now, and the road trip had me beat. I laid on the brightly colored couch and watched some mindless TV before eating a early dinner, showering, and plopping into my new bed. _No sense in making myself tired tomorrow. It's gonna be rough._

 **So, what did you think? My first chapter of Hyrule Academy. Again, I'll try to keep these author's notes short and sweet so you can get on with the next chapter. Please review, it means everything to hear that my story is loved!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, welcome back to the story. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. I didn't give you enough time to review before I put this one up so no responses… see you at the bottom!**

 **Monday – Zelda's POV**

 _Well. The first day of school. I'm literally shaking with anxiety. Good think I have Link to show me around, or I might actually collapse._

I had met Link outside his house right after breakfast this morning, and he walked me the three blocks to Hyrule Academy. He was telling me about where to find my schedule and how he would show me where my classes were if he had them st the same time. If not, Link would introduce me to some of his friends who could guide me around the massive complex.

Hyrule Academy was shaped in two giant rectangles. One building was the multi-story brick monstrosity that housed all the classes. A large courtyard filled with trees separated it from the other building, which housed the gym and cafeteria. On warm days like these, though, most students preferred to eat outside.

I walked through the courtyard, and Link waited for me outside the office doors. I walked into the cramped space to find three ladies working at computers and with stacks of papers on the wraparound counter, while a fourth was sitting in an office behind an open door.

I reluctantly approached the desk. The woman was wearing a bright blue dress and was clicking on a computer, unaware of my approach.

"Ahem." The woman jumped.

"Oh, hello! Can I help you?"

"I'm Zelda Nohansen, a new student-"

"Oh, yes, yes, I have your schedule right here. I'm Ms. Nayru, by the way." She indicated a nameplate reading as such and then shuffled through a stack of papers.

Ms. Nayru mumbled under her breath, then yelled, "DIN!"

A woman in a fiery red dress sat up in the back, where she had apparently been sleeping. "What? Huh? Oh, what do you need, infernal coworker!"

"This girl needs her schedule. Zelda Nohansen, remember?"

Ms. Din threw her hands in the air, rapidly appearing angrier by the minute. "Why do I always get blamed for these things? Argh, this job is too much!"

He third woman, wearing a flowing green dress, walked over and put a hand on Ms. Din's shoulder. "Now, don't be rash. You probably just lost it again. Just go print another one."

"I AM NOT- Oh, that's actually a good idea, Farore. I'll go print another copy." Ms. Din walked into the office in the back, and Ms. Farore sat back down, looking smug.

"You shouldn't provoke her, Nayru." Ms. Farore scolded.

"I did not! She just ruins all the organization I put into running this office!"

"Now, ladies, let's remember our professionalism." The tall, young-looking woman that had been in the office stepped out with Ms. Din. The three office women immediately sat up straighter.

"Yes, Principal Hylia." They all echoed.

The principal smile at me. "Good, let's get back to work and get this girl to her classes, alright?"

"Yes, Principal Hylia." Din handed me my schedule and then sullenly sat in the back once again. Seeing the commotion was finished, I walked out and met Link in the courtyard once again, who was now leaning casually against a tree.

"You look flustered," he commented, ever-present smile flashing once again. "Enjoy meeting the trio?"

"Yeah, they're quite the receptionists." I held up the paper. Looks like I have history first with Mr. Shad, then gym with Ms. Ashei, then first lunch, then chemistry with Mr. Auru, math with Mr. Rusl, and English with Mr. Bo."

Link looked at me, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Are you kidding?"

"Um, no, why?"

"That's my schedule exactly, too! We have every single class together."

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows. "Stalker."

He laughed. It was pure, free, crystal clear, and genuine. I mentally resolved to make him laugh as much as possible.

"Well, I'm glad you're someone I like. I would hate to spend my whole day with someone I hated."

 _Good thing indeed._ Just then, a loud electronic bell rang over the courtyard. I covered my ears and grimaced.

Link laughed again. Nice.

"Is the bell always so…"

"Screeching?" He offered.

"Horrible?" I replied.

"Piercing?"

"Unbearable?"

"Yup," Link confirmed. "That one means we have ten minutes to your first class. C'mon, I think you'll like Mr. Shad."

Link set off into the building at a brisk pace. I followed him up a flight of stairs and into a dimly lit classroom with wooden desks arranged in a grid. Only a few students were already seated.

"The bad news is, since you came late to the semester," he explained apologetically, "you don't get to pick your seat."

"And the good news?"

"It's behind mine. Although, some would not consider that good news."

I sat behind Link, choosing not to comment on that. After ten minutes of students trickling in, a young red headed man with glasses and a book under his arm closed the door behind him.

"Good morning, class," he began.

"Morning, Mr. Shad," the students chorused.

"As you may have noticed l, we have a new student with us today." Several heads turned to look at me, and I felt myself turn a bit pink."

"Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself, Zelda?"

Oh, no.

I stood up shakily. All the anxiety I felt on Sunday was coming back in full force. "I, uh…"

Oh, no!

I swear I was _this_ close to just breaking down right there, like a fool who can't even talk. I know that it sounds stupid now, but in the moment it felt like I was about to die.

That is, until Link flashed me a reassuring smile.

"My name is Zelda, I'm from Castle Town. I moved here to get a better education at the Hyrule Academy. And also to get a bigger house."

The class chuckled and everyone turned around in their seats.

 _What was that?! How did I do that? Link just looked at me and then I was totally fine! I even told a joke!_

I don't know what happened then, but I was gonna have to remember to thank Link. In the meantime, Mr. Shad had begun talking about the history of the Triforce or something. I just kept staring at a certain messy blond head…

 **So, this chapter was a bit short. I hope you liked the scene between the goddesses as the receptionists! I thought that was a nice twist. This story already has 15 views. FIFTEEN! I'm just a little disappointed that none of those 15 people reviewed… Anyways, see you next time, and remember to R &R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, in the time between writing the last author's note and publishing it, I got three reviews! Sorry and thanks PlopPrince for being my first reviewer!**

 **Monday – Link's POV**

 _Whew. She is a nervous wreck, isn't she? Pretty though._

The pretty Zelda Nohansen sat down and didn't even look at him, just collapsed into her seat.

 _Again, whew. It's like she'd rather die than say a few words in front of people._

Mr. Shad kept talking, and I grudgingly faced forward. Zelda could wait, and I'd probably just distract her anyway. She seemed like the type to like history, so I was surprised when I stole a look at her and fond her piercing violet eyes looking right back.

 _Weird. But still pretty._

Just then, the bell screeched and Mr. Shad was cut off mid-sentence by students swarming out the door. I walked back to Zelda's desk to escort her to our next class, gym with Ms. Ashei.

"That went well, didn't it?" I smiled.

She looked pale. "Ugh. Let's hope I don't have to do it in every class."

"Yup," I said. "Let's go get it over with, then." She followed close on my heels out the door and into the crowded hallway. I brought her down the stairs and across the courtyard to the other building. Just as we reached the bleachers to put our stuff down, the bell rang again.

Zelda looked better now, she'd probably forgotten her embarrassment already. "You don't have to do that today, you know," I said.

She stopped tying her hair up into a bun. "It's gym, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but since you're new, you'll probably just be signing forms the whole time."

"Right." She looked crestfallen.

"You like gym?"

"Yeah, back at Castle Town High I always ran the fastest mile."

"Impressive!" What was even more impressive was that I got her to open up about her past already. I wanted to learn more about where she was from. Zelda interested me, not in a romantic way, of course, but in a more… cultural sense. She was the life I never had. A kid with a family.

I mean, I had Aryll, of course. But our story was a sad one. Our parents died too young for either of us to remember, when I was 4 and my sister was a 2-year-old. The local orphanage took us in until I was 13, when I could legally receive the sizable inheritance my parents had left me. I bought the house on Ordon Avenue and I've lived there with Aryll ever since. I suppose we aren't legally able to own a house and car and all that, but neither of us have a criminal record and we pay our taxes, so the law leaves us alone. I like it that way, too. It's a big responsibility, looking out for both of us, but as long as I keep our funds up with my job the two of us can live off inheritance money until retirement.

The shrill blow of Ms. Ashei's whistle took me out of my thoughts. I changed in the boy's locker room and lined up in a big grid, like we always did. I could see Zelda up in the bleachers, presumably filling out her paperwork.

"Alright, kids, listen up. Today, we're going outside for some soccer practice. We've only got an hour, so don't waste time, yeah?"

Our grid dissipated as all the cheering students ran outside to the soccer field. I shot a pitying glance at Zelda before I left, sorry that she couldn't enjoy the sunshine. She rolled her eyes and I grinned.

We kicked the ball around the field for a while, I even made a goal. Before we knew it, it was time to go back inside. I grabbed my stuff from the bleachers and met Zelda by the door.

"Don't say anything about the sunshine, alright?" She sounded annoyed.

"Only that it was way fun without you."

She raised a hand, presumably to slap me, then realized what she was doing and turned bright pink. "Sorry."

I laughed. "No, it's fine, we're friends."

She slapped me hard across the cheek. Without hesitation, I might add.

"Ow," I rubbed my face. "At least, I thought we were…"

Now Zelda laughed. _Wow, that was pretty too. It's like little bells._

I almost smacked myself at that. _What am I, a third grade poet?_

"C'mon," she beckoned. "Which way to the cafeteria?"

"It's right next to the gym, see? They're in the same building." We lined up with trays and the lunch lady, Ms. Telma, gave us some salad.

"Hey, Link, good to see your face around here."

"Hey, Telma." I liked the lunch lady.

"Who's the lady with you today?" She raised an eyebrow at Zelda.

"I'm Zelda," she said, nodding at Telma. "I just moved here onto Link's street."

"Ah," Telma acknowledged. "Well, hope you like it here."

I led Zelda over out of the lunch line to my usual table. I was pretty excited, admittedly, to introduce her to all my friends.

"Heyyy! Link! Haven't seen you in, like, two days!" That was Darunia's booming voice, that I only barely registered before a crushing bear hug that almost caused me to drop my tray.

"You idiot, Darunia, you do that every day." That was Nabooru, a headstrong girl with African roots. "Give him a break."

"Hey, it's nice that he shows affection. Unlike _some_ people, who never even smile," Ruto jabbed. She was the most diva of the bunch, who spent hours everyday on her hair.

"Hey, Sheik never smiles either!" Nabooru retorted. Sheik's red eyes peered out from under his gray hoodie.

"That's because Sheik never says anything at all, Nabooru," I cut in. "Now, I've got an announcement to make, guys."

"Oh!" Ruto exclaimed. "Is she your girlfriend?"

I was not expecting that. My friends all looked at me expectantly. I turned slightly red, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Zelda doing the same.

"Er, no, she's my new neighbor."

"Oh." Ruto looked disappointed. Darunia chuckled.

"Anyway, this is Zelda. She just moved into the empty house next to mine yesterday, so try not to freak her out too much, alright?"

Nabooru rolled her eyes. "Not gonna happen, Link, not with this crew."

A pretty redheaded girl sat down next to Ruto with a tray of food. "I'm Malon," she said, extending a hand to Zelda. She looked at it a moment and then shook it.

Malon continued. "I, for one, am happy to have another girl around here."

"What do you mean?!" I asked, pretending to look hurt. "Is my company not satisfying enough for you?"

"No," Malon shot Link a glare, but fun twinkled in her eyes.

"Well," Sheik spoke up for the first time, "the boys and girls have been tied until now."

Everyone looked at him, surprised.

"I'm just pointing out that the balance has been upset with Zelda's arrival. Now there's more girls."

"How acute of you, Sheik," Nabooru praised, then said to Zelda, "Finally, someone noticed that we need reinforcements."

Zelda laughed. I love hearing her laugh. I sat down next to Malon, and patted the seat next to me, indicating for Zelda to sit.

As the conversation went on, Zelda leaned and whispered in my ear, "I think I really like your friends."

I grinned at her again. When she turned to say something to Malon, I could still feel her warm breath on my cheek.

 **Finally, we get to see from Link's perspective, eh? It'll be pretty interesting to see what he thinks of Zelda, especially later on. By the way, I've noticed all the characters might become confusing for some of you. If you want me to add a character directory, say so in a review. Speaking of which… please review! I will beg shamelessly for them until I am satisfied, so you might as well. Au revoir!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, it's been about a day since I published this story and already it has over 250 views and 6 reviews. Thank you all so much, you are the reason I keep writing!**

 **Now for some responses (exciting, I know).**

 **To Hiraeth Ianevski: Your name is a mouthful! Thank you for your kind words!**

 **To the first guest: Which one is which? xD I personally can't get enough of Zelink, but I decided to throw in a weird pairing that's pretty unheard of, just as an experiment.**

 **To the second guest: I don't think I'll add any BOTW characters, simply because most people haven't played through it yet and I wouldn't want to accidentally spoil anything. Revali is my favorite character though, so he might make a cameo or something!**

 **To AnriMia24: I'm planning on introducing a few more side characters from Twilight Princess (like the teachers), the main villains, and maybe Fi from SS.**

 **To Walker's Annoying Voice: Hah! I like that. "Romance cookies." There's some more of those in this chapter, so get ready!**

 **Again, let me know if you think a character list is necessary. In this chapter, the main villains are introduced. Enjoy and review!**

 **Monday – Zelda's POV**

After I whispered to Link, I turned around to face the redhead. "So, Malon, what did you mean by finally having another girl here?"

She gave me a small smile. "Well, me and Ruto are the only ones who can really talk about girl stuff. It's good to have a third party to settle arguments about clothes and such."

I nodded. "I know the feeling." Then I remembered, "what about Nabooru?"

"She's not really, you know, a girly girl. She'd rather be out hunting and working with her hands than doing makeup."

I glanced over at Nabooru, but then, my attention was stolen by a trio walking up behind her. A dark, towering man with flaming hair crossed his arms and smiled down at our group.

"Well, well, well." His voice was deeper than even Darunia's, and although I'd never admit it, he kinda scared me.

"Looks like you and your little gang of losers had the nerve to show your face at school after the incident Friday." He smirked.

The girl behind him chuckled, and I looked her over. She had a pointed nose, like a raven, and dark hair. What struck me the most was her violet eyes, like mine. It was a bit unnerving.

Then the flame-haired guy noticed me. "Oh," he said, his grin broadening, "who have we here?" He stepped around the end of the table to get closer to me, and I tried to scoot away, but Malon was behind me! _How do I get away from this guy? I don't even know his name and I'm already scared for my life!_

But then I didn't have to. Link, praise his name, stood up between us, his thick hair bouncing as he shielded me.

The dark man's smirk immediately turned to a scowl. "Move aside, Greenie."

"You won't touch her," he growled.

 _Goddesses, what did I do to deserve such friendship? I'm glad I'm not alone in my fear of Hothead here._

"Woah, there, it's a little early for that, isn't it?" Hothead's smirk returned. "Don't worry, I won't try anything with her. Yet."

Link sat down slowly, never taking his eyes off him. All his other friends at the table were watching the exchange with rapt attention.

Hothead exchanged a hand toward me. "I'm Ganon, since Greenie here didn't bother with introductions."

I took it after a moment's hesitation. Ganon shook it forcefully, then let go. The tension in the air slowly spiraled away.

"This is my girlfriend, Cia," he jerked a thumb at the raven-like girl. "And that dude back there is Zant."

I finally got a good look at the last guy. Zant kinda reminded me of Sheik, but more intimidating. He was wearing black sweats and a gray hoodie that obscured all of his face, except a pale mouth. Weird.

"I'm… I'm Zelda." I spoke, my voice dry. "I just moved here from Castle Town."

There was a pause, and the group all watched Ganon's face to see his response. Finally, he took a step back. "Good to meet you, Zelda." His sneer returned. "We'll talk later."

Link muttered something unintelligible and Ganon's posse strode away. Link glared at his receding back until they left the cafeteria.

Malon let out a sigh of relief, startling me from behind. "Whew, glad that's over with."

Darunia growled. "I was this close to smashing his head in."

"Yeah, how dare he bring up last Friday?" Nabooru sounded outraged.

"Just ignore him, guys," Link said finally, visibly unwinding from his tense posture. "Getting to us is what he wants, that's how he got us then, and we won't let him do it again."

The group was quiet for the rest of lunch, a dark cloud hanging over all of us. After the horrible screaming of the bell sounded once again, I began following Link to my next class, chemistry with Mr. Auru.

Trying to lighten the mood, I asked him, "Dare I ask what happened on Friday?"

Link shook his head. "Stay away from Ganon, alright?" The emotion in his usually cheerful voice surprised me. "He's bad news."

My thoughts guided me back to the lunch confrontation as we walked through the halls. I couldn't believe how ready Link was to stand up for me, and we've known each other for less than a day already.

We burst through a door just in front of Mr. Auru, a thin, middle-aged man with frown lines. He looked like the kind of guy you'd see narrating a documentary.

Link took his seat, and I sat in the only empty one. I got a similar introduction as the one from Mr. Shad, which I was used to by now and was much more comfortable around kids I didn't know.

Mr. Auru had the kind of monotone that put you right to sleep. He wasn't boring, necessarily, but I could tell my mind would wander during this class. Which it did. I'm a huge daydreamer, and I've always had an active imagination ever since I was little. Gazing out the small window to the courtyard, with the teacher's drone creating the perfect background, my eyelids drooped and shut.

 _I'm laying on a carpet. Beyond that, a stone floor. In front of me is a throne. A castle, then._

 _Outside is a relentless storm. Rain lashes the high stained glass windows, and lightning booms in the distance. I stand up and look at the throne._

 _A golden Triforce is held aloft by massive stone goddesses high above it. Somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind echoes the voice of Mr. Shad, but I push it away. Below the statue sits a dark figure, his face cloaked in shadow, but fiery orange locks poke out._

 _Ganon. He laughs, his voice even deeper than before, and lightning flashes ominously behind him. "Welcome to my castle."_

 _I hear footsteps, and realize Ganon isn't talking to or even looking at me. I turn around slowly, noting my flowing white gown, and see a figure clad in green silhouetted against the storm. Little spikes poke out from his head._ A helmet? _I wonder, then realize as he steps into the light that it's hair._

 _Link._

 _He's wearing a bright tunic and brown trousers. He's older, his features more defined, his eyes piercing and his face rugged. The violet hilt of a great sword protrudes from behind his back._

 _"_ _Link!" I say, taking a step toward him, but only to realize my foot won't obey me. Instead, my skin pales and I levitate slightly off the ground._ What's happening to me?!

 _My lips open, not of my will, but some other's. Ganon's baritone cackle pours out of it. I look at Link helplessly, trying to find comfort there, only to find his sword drawn and pointed at me._

I woke up panting quietly, my head jolting up from my desk in Mr. Auru's classroom. The other students are filing out the door, and I become aware of a hand on my shoulder, shaking gently.

"Uh, Zelda?"

Link's voice. His steely eyes flash from my dream, and I look up to find the same ones staring back at me.

"It's time to go to math. You've been asleep the whole class." He chuckles at that, then concern crosses his face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bad dream." I shake my head, the last imprints of the dark castle leaving my vision.

"A dream, huh? Wish I was blessed with sleep in Mr. Auru's class. That grating voice keeps me on edge."

I laugh and follow him out the door. "It's a nice background for my imagination."

"You really are a dreamer, aren't you?" Link says over his shoulder. "Well, be glad you got your beauty rest now, because Old Man Rusl's class will leave you in the dust if you miss a minute."

Grinning and shaking my head at his informal comment, I set off after Link. This school day is turning out to be much more interesting than I expected.

 **So, there's the end of that chapter. Sorry for the short length, the next one will be full of content, I promise. Did you like Ganon and his gang of jocks? They'll be appearing a lot, as well as some sparks between him and Cia (if you're into weird ships like that. Ew!). As usual, don't forget to read and review. If there's specific things you'd like to see in the next chapters, don't be afraid to say so!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! As promised, this chapter will be longer than the last one and will span until the end of Monday. I like to keep my chapters short but frequent so my readers don't get bored. If you are bored, let me know what to change! After all, "Excitement" is my middle name!**

 **Monday – Zelda's POV**

Mr. Rusl's class was exactly as Link said. It was pretty fun for a math class, but if you stopped paying attention for even a minute you'd miss some key concept. It went by in a blur, along with Sgt. Bo's. The latter insisted on calling him Sergeant even though he had no military rank. Before I knew it, Link and I were waving goodbye to his friends and walking down the sidewalk toward Ordon Avenue.

"So," he began, grinning. "How was your first day at the academy?"

"Well, first I met the office ladies. Then I almost wet myself giving an introduction in Mr. Shad's class."

Link chuckled. "That's blunt."

"Then I was stuck doing paperwork inside during gym. I met Hothead during lunch-"

I flushed at my accidental mention of my private nickname for Ganon. Link let out another peal of laughter. "You seriously call him Hothead? I like that."

"It's just something about the hair, you know? Anyway," I continued, trying my best to sound annoyed instead of pleased, "then I fell asleep in chemistry, had a nightmare, ruined my nail polish writing equations for Old Man Rusl, and Sgt. Bo's class was just interesting."

Link raised an eyebrow at my use of his pet name for our math teacher. "Sounds like a pretty crummy day," he said sarcastically.

"Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I met your friends, got to sleep a little, and I like all of my teachers."

"Speaking of my friends," Link said, "they all want to meet at the diner downtown for dinner. To get to know you better."

"Really?" I tried not to sound too hopeful. The prospect of having a group of friends in this forsaken school was appealing. "I'd love to."

"Great!" Link seemed pleased. "So, meet you there around 6? Look for the red car?"

"Actually, I don't have my license. It's a little embarrassing."

"No, really, it's cool. I'll pick you up in my truck then. At 6."

"Ok, thanks." I paused. "You have a truck?"

"Oh, yes." Link gave me an indecipherable look. "It's hideous. You're better off walking downtown."

"Any wheels are better than none."

We arrived at my house, and as I was walking up the front steps, I heard Link say, "Just wait until you see it."

Two hours later, the most hideous rust bucket I'd ever seen emerged from Link's driveway. He leaned out the window, waving to me. "Still think any wheels are better than none."

I rolled my eyes and got in the passenger door. When my parents had traded the yellow Bug for our red sedan, I'd vowed never to make fun of a car again.

The radio was playing soft country music as I buckled into the frayed leather seat. "You like country?"

"I'll listen to whatever. Aryll likes it when I pick her up."

I shrugged, then asked, "So, what's downtown like?"

"You'll love it. The buildings are all super tall, there's lights everywhere, and tons to do." He gave me a mischievous smile. "We can even go clubbing sometime, if you're brave enough."

I paled. "No thanks. I couldn't handle twenty kids in a classroom, I sure can't handle a hundred drunk ones in the dark."

It was Link's turn to shrug. "Honestly, I've never done it either. I'm not much of a daredevil."

I thought back to the lunch episode. "Aw, c'mon, you're plenty brave."

"Like you said, a hundred drunk kids in the dark isn't my natural habitat."

Before I could reply, the trucks rumbling motor ground to a halt. We were parked in front of a fifties themed diner, complete with purple and blue neon lights and an arcade cabinet inside. I could make out Darunia's massive form in the corner booth, along with Malon, Ruto, Nabooru, and Sheik.

Link opened the door for me, causing a small bell to ring above it. The group's heads turned in our direction, and they all lit up upon seeing me and Link.

"Hey!" Ruto called out. "Over here, guys!"

"They can obviously see us," Nabooru muttered. "No reason to shout."

I slid in next to Malon, and Link next to me. I noticed it was the same order as at lunch, with Darunia at one end, then Nabooru, Sheik squeezed in the back, Ruto, Malon, me, and Link.

"Hey, everybody," Link greeted.

"Hi," I said timidly, but less so than before.

"The waitress already came, we got shakes for both of you." Darunia shot me an apologetic look. "I didn't know what you liked, so…"

"It's ok, I love milkshakes." I waved him off.

"That's what we usually get here," Link explained. "You get dessert first, then your food."

"Yes, and it's quite unhealthy, I might add. Even the "real" food." Sheik put in.

"Sheik, even you have to admit, they taste wonderful," Malon chided.

"Yes, I simply wish to indicate that the calorie count is quite high."

"He always talks like that," Nabooru explained, "he prefers to make observations."

Sheik nodded, and Nabooru continued, "It makes him quite useful in bow hunting."

"You like to hunt?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, we all do," Ruto said. "It's our favorite weekend pastime."

"Yeah, even you Ruto, although the last time I recall a good amount of whining about a chipped nail." Link teased. Just then, the waitress arrived, carrying seven strawberry milkshakes in tall glasses, each topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

"Wow," I said, impressed. "How did you guys know I liked strawberry?"

"Just a hunch," Darunia said, winking.

"No, it's because all the rest of us do, too." Nabooru said flatly, but her eyes and smile suggested she was laughing on the inside.

Our conversation was drowned out by the sound of satisfied slurps.

After an hour of greasy fries and pleasant conversation, Malon sat up suddenly, glancing at her watch.

"Guys, it's seven o'clock, I've got to go get started on Mr. Auru's homework."

"Ugh," Ruto groaned next to her, "don't remind me. Three whole pages of chemical nonsense. Although I suppose it makes perfect sense to Sheik."

Sheik's red eyes twinkled with amusement, the first emotion I'd seen behind his gray hood. "I find chemistry quite simple, and can't possibly comprehend why the rest of you struggle so greatly."

Link stood up and said, teasing, "Speak for yourself, wonder boy, I think chemistry's the easiest subject of them all. It's Shad the Bad that really gets me."

Everyone laughed, and Link touched my shoulder. "I've gotta get home Zelda, you coming?"

"Yeah," I turned to the table. "Thanks everyone for being so welcoming. It means a lot to have friends like you."

A chorus arose of "Aw, don't mention it" and "No problem, Zelda, you're cool." I slid my wrapper into the garbage can and climbed into the rust bucket truck.

"That was really fun," I told Link as he turned the key. "I really like your friends."

"Our friends," he corrected softly. "You've only been here for a day, and already you're liked by a lot of people. Including me."

For the first time, I couldn't place the feeling in his voice. Was it concern? Admiration?

 _Affection?_

He turned his eyes to the road and we drove back to Ordon Avenue in an amiable silence. Finally, he stopped in front of our houses.

"I'll park here for the night," he said, stepping out. He came around and opened my door. How chivalrous.

"Thanks, Link," I started. "I've only been here for one full day, and already, I feel like I've been here my whole life."

"Don't mention it."

"No, really," I said as we walked up the moonlit sidewalk. "I was worried sick about leaving my friends behind in Castle Town. But you and your group accepted me with no qualms. And," I added thoughtfully, "they bought me a milkshake."

Link's teeth flashed in the dark. Grinning again. "Well, I hope you can learn to like it here on humble old Ordon Avenue." He took a mock bow. "I live to serve."

I laughed and stepped inside my door, leaving him on my front porch. My parents were sitting on the couch in front of the TV. My dad reached for the remote and muted it.

"How was your dinner, sweetie?" He asked.

"It was great, Dad. I think I've made a lot of friends already."

"Good, good. Your mother and I were just discussing when you'd come around."

"Daphnes," Mom scolded quietly.

"Really, though," I assured them, "I think, maybe, I could learn to like it here after all."

 **Well there you have it, I've finished the introductory portion of Hyrule Academy. Drama, action, and romance all await in the coming chapters. As usual, please leave a review! It means the world to me and your comments inspire me to make my writing even better! For now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hope you are interested enough to read all the ones to come!**


	6. Chapter 6

**In response to the last chapter's opening note, my middle name is not actually "Excitement." Sorry. Thank you to all my reviewers, especially those that take time to suggest new content for my story.**

 **To AnriMia24: Idk, having an obnoxious pestering character like Fi might inspire some comedic moments for the other characters!**

 **CONTENT WARNING: I may be upping this story's rating to teen for a suggestive conversation in this chapter, as a higher rating gives me more freedom when writing romance and drama portions. Read at your own discretion, although it's all purely suggestive, so it should be safe.**

 **Tuesday – Link's POV**

It's usually pretty hard for me to get up in the morning before school. I hit the snooze button too many times, I never eat breakfast, I throw clothes on on my way out the door. But lately, for some reason, I've been on time. Yesterday and this morning I've been more alert than ever, always trying my best to look presentable before I meet Zelda and walk to school in the mornings.

At 7:30 sharp, Zelda stepped out of her door, waving goodbye to her parents. Aryll always leaves early for some club or other, so It's just me and Zelda in the mornings. We talk about everything from our favorite foods, activities, movies, which teachers we like, which ones we hate, and about our lives before we became neighbors. Like she said, it's been two days, and I already feel like I've known her all my life.

When we got to the courtyard, I walked over to the tree next to the office door that I had waited for Zelda against when she was getting her schedule. I grabbed a branch and swung up into the boughs, laying on a thick shaft of wood and closing my eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Just relaxing in a tree. Why?"

"It's a bit weird. Do you just hang out in trees all the time?"

"Not really. I'm just trying to escape you."

I could see her raise an eyebrow even through the leaves.

"You're surprisingly agile."

"Glad I could impress you somehow."

"You're insufferable."

We could have bantered like this for a while longer, but just then the warning bell rang. "C'mon, let's get to history." I swung down and landed next to her.

"Right," she said while we were walking inside, "wouldn't want to miss the latest lesson from Shad the Bad, would we?"

I grimaced. "So, you remembered that, huh?"

"How could I forget your cheesy nicknames for almost all of our teachers?"

I took my seat and Zelda sat right behind me. Before turning around, I couldn't resist taunting her. "It's not just the teachers, you know. I've got some ideas for yourself in this head of mine." I tapped my skull airily.

Zelda's cheeks turned the color of roses. She did that a lot, I noticed. It was cute. Before she could retort, however, Mr. Shad strode in, mindlessly adjusting his glasses. I was preparing an excuse for my forgotten homework when he said something unexpected…

"Principal Hylia has called an assembly today. All the juniors are to report to the auditorium in ten minutes. Your homework can wait until next class."

 _Oh, thank the goddesses. One more missing assignment and Aryll will bake me._

"An assembly?" It appeared Zelda was back to her normal stressed-out self.

"Yeah, it's nothing to worry about. Usually she just rants about our grades and success and respect for adults and other useless topics like that."

She glared at me. Actually glared! "Those aren't useless topics. Academic success and respect for elders are both important qualities."

I laughed confusedly. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, Link, you might learn something from this assembly. Good thing I'll be there to make sure you listen."

I sighed, resigned. "Alright, if you say so." We walked to the auditorium in the center of the rectangular building, a dark two-story room with a large stage in the front. Our class sat in the middle of the fourth row.

I listened to the idle chatter of our classmates until the lights dimmed and Principal Hylia walked onto the stage, wearing a navy pantsuit and high heels. The picture of professionalism and Hyrule Academy's reputation exemplified.

"Good morning, students." She said primly, not needing a microphone to project her voice.

"Good morning, Ms. Hylia," the students chorused drearily.

"I've gathered all the juniors here today to talk about the theme for this year's upperclassman prom."

A few collective murmurs went around the room. I was intrigued. Since I was a junior, I was now eligible to go to prom with somebody. Unfortunately, I had only ever dated one girl before, and that ended quite badly. Maybe I'd go with someone as a friend.

"Quiet down, kids. Now, all of the juniors are here today to vote on the theme of the dance and location. The date of the prom will be late in April. The homecoming dance will also be available to juniors, which will be held the month following this one."

The principal was ticking off her fingers with each announcement, as if checking off a list. I had not forgotten about homecoming, and was pretty excited about it if I could find someone to go with.

"The options for the prom theme are located on the ballot you received walking in the door. Please check your vote and put it in the voting box on your way out. That's all I have for you today, students, now for your guest speaker on academic success."

Ms. Hylia left the stage and Zelda nudged me. "Pay attention to this one."

I tried, I really did. But I was lost in thought about the two upcoming dances. I combed my mind, thinking about all the potential girls I could ask to homecoming in a month. I didn't want to make the same mistake as last year, though…

Two hours later, the juniors all filed out of the auditorium, blinking and squinting in the sudden light.

"Well?" Zelda asked. "What did you learn?"

"Er… well… I…"

"You didn't pay attention, did you?"

"Uh… no. I was thinking about the dances," I said honestly. "All of the gang is going this year, so I have to find someone to ask to homecoming. And I don't want it to be like last year."

Her eye sparkled with something I couldn't place and she turned her shoulder slightly toward me. Hopefulness? But what does that have to do with anything?

After a second or two, she faced me again, the look gone. "Well, I hope you find someone." A pause. "Wait, what happened last year?"

Dang. I knew I would slip up and mention that sometime or other. "I guess that if you're officially joining my group of friends, you ought to know."

An eyebrow went up. "Do I? Is it some big secret?"

I looked down at my brown leather shoes.

"An embarrassing secret?"

"Look, can we not talk about this? I promise to tell you after school."

That seemed to satisfy her for now. The rest of the day passed in an uneventful blur. I was finishing annotating a short story for Sgt. Bo when the final bell screeched and I filed out of the classroom. Zelda followed me automatically, as was our habit now.

"Well?" She blinked at me.

I had no idea what she wanted. "What?"

"Are you gonna tell me?"

"Oh." I had promised to tell her, hadn't I? "Well," I said, sighing. "It all started about this time my sophomore year…"

 _"_ _She's quite a pretty girl, and she obviously has a major crush on you." Ruto was saying._

 _"_ _Yeah, just ask her. See how it goes." Even Malon agreed._

 _"_ _Ah, I don't know, guys," I scratched the back of my head. "It just seems kind of sudden."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?" asked Nabooru. "She obviously would say yes."_

 _"_ _I have to agree with Nabooru on this issue," Sheik intoned. "From my observations of Ilia's recent actions toward you, she would most likely agree to go to homecoming with you."_

 _"_ _See?" Darunia spread his hands out toward me. "Even Sheik says so."_

 _"_ _Okay, okay, fine," I relented, "I'll go ask her right now."_

 _I stood and walked over to where Ilia was sitting with some girls I didn't recognize. She was quite pretty, with hair that poked out like mine and a small, curved face. We had been talking for the past month or so and had grown pretty close._

 _"_ _Hey, Ilia," I asked carefully, "I know this might be a little abrupt, but… homecoming is in a few days, and… I was wondering if…"_

 _"_ _Link, of course I'll go wish you!" She gushed and swayed to the side. "You can pick me up in a limo, and wear a tux with a rose in it, and it'll be so romantic!"_

 _I chuckled awkwardly. "Well, sure, yeah, except I don't actually have any money for that kind of thing…"_

 _"_ _I'm sure you'll find a way, Link. I know how important I am to you." She pecked me on the cheek and I walked back over to my friends._

 _"_ _Well," Malon grinned at me. "Looks like that went well."_

 _I nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."_

 _"_ _Don't look so down, brother!" Darunia clapped me on the back. "You wanted a date to homecoming, right? Now you've got one!"_

 _I tried feebly to imitate his broad grin. "Okay. You're right." But when I turned my back, my grin disappeared._

"Wait," Zelda cut in, dragging me back to the present. "I thought you _wanted_ a date to homecoming."

I nodded, then stopped halfway and shook my head. "I wanted to go with pretty much anyone except Ilia. Like I said, she was pretty, but kind of a snob."

"Sounds like it," Zelda scoffed. "She demanded you pick her up in a limo. What did you do?"

"I was just getting to that."

 _The lights glowed through the windows on Ilia's massive mansion. Her dad, the junior English teacher Sgt. Bo, waved to her as she stepped off the porch and began walking over to me. Her face broke into a happy smile when she saw me in the backseat of the black stretch limo._

 _"_ _Link!" She gushed. "I'm so happy you got a limo! Thank you!"_

 _I grinned in return but frowned inwardly._ Those are her first words? 'I'm so happy you got a limo'? _Ilia did look striking in her white satin gown, though, so I kept quiet._

 _"_ _I like your tux," she said, plucking my bow tie. "And you even combed your hair."_

 _I gave a genuine grin at that. It wasn't every day you saw me with my hair slicked back. She leaned comfortably on my shoulder as we pulled in front of the Hyrule Academy courtyard. I loved formal affairs like these, but right now all I wanted to do was climb up into a tree and escape from it all._ How unusual of me.

 _As soon as I opened the door to let Ilia out, she dashed off to meet her friends and, presumably, tell them about the limo._

 _I sighed. "Well, I'd better do the same." I wandered around aimlessly until I found Ruto and Darunia, who had gone as friends, waiting to get inside. "Hey guys."_

 _"_ _Link!" Ruto exclaimed. "Where's Ilia? Tell me about it. What did she say?"_

 _"_ _Woah, slow down there, Ruto. Let him breathe." Darunia chuckled._

 _"_ _Well, she noticed it alright," I said, trying not to sound too glum. "Guys, I just think maybe she isn't, you know, right for me."_

 _Ruto paled faster than I thought was possible, even for a diva like her. "Oh, no, Link, you can't talk like that! You and Ilia are obviously perfect for each other!"_

 _"_ _How so?"_

 _"_ _Well, she's… she's… uh…" Ruto struggled for a moment. "Look, just spend some time with her at the dance tonight, okay? You'll know it for sure by the end of the night."_

 _I sighed once again._ That's really gonna throw my shoulders if I keep sighing like that. _"Okay, Ruto, I'll go find her."_

 _She smiled, satisfied, and Darunia gave me a thumbs-up. "Just give her a chance, dude."_

 _I found Ilia and her friends Malo and Beth huddled around a tree. "Hey, Ilia, I-"_

 _"_ _EEK!" The three of them screamed in unison._

 _"_ _Goddesses, Link, don't sneak up on us like that!" Ilia fumed._

 _"_ _Sorry! Sorry, I just wanted to ask if you were ready to go inside yet."_

 _Her face softened and she gave Beth a look. Malo was eyeing me up and down suspiciously. For a freshman, he looked pretty tough._

 _"_ _Sure, Link. Let's go." Ilia glanced at Malo. "Stop that. You're making him uncomfortable."_

 _We strode toward the entrance line and she grabbed my hand. I looked down, surprised, then relaxed slightly._

 _"_ _So, how'd you get the money for the limo?" She asked softly. "I thought you didn't have any money."_

 _"_ _I scrounged some up," I said vaguely, avoiding the subject. "It's a story for another time." What I didn't want to tell her was that this night was taking a chunk out of my inheritance money, that I was supposed to spend frugally and live off of until retirement._

 _"_ _Well, I'm glad you did. I'm glad you got a tux, too." Her soft smile hardened. "It brings out your muscles well."_

 _I didn't know what to say to that. I just settled with blushing. To be honest, I hardly ever worked out. It was mostly my natural build._

 _Once the usher collected the small entrance fee, I guided her to the dance floor, where a slow waltz was playing. "Let's dance."_

 _We twisted and stepped, twirled and swayed. The hum of violins echoed across the gym floor. I looked over at her face, after a minute, only to find her staring at my chest again. I didn't think anything of it then, because I was a head and a half taller than her._

 _The song ended, and Ilia said something about finding her friends again. I migrated to the snack table, as most guys do, but didn't eat anything. After about ten minutes, I got curious about Ilia's whereabouts. I didn't see that shiny white dress anywhere in the gym, so I wandered back out to the courtyard._ No luck. _Taking a quick rest, I leaned against a tree and heard a girl's voice behind the brick building._

 _"_ _Oh my gosh, really? You can't be serious. There's no way he'd agree."_

 _"_ _Of course he will, he just needs a little push in the right direction."_

 _That second one was Ilia's voice! Curious, I edged closer to the wall._

 _"_ _Yeah, he needs a push. Literally." The girls both laughed._

 _"_ _I'm sure he'd agree after just a little persuading." Ilia again. "After all, he did 'scrounge' together money for a limo and tux. Just for me! It's proof he'd do anything for me."_

 _"_ _Okay, you're right. Go inside, find him, and bring him back to your mansion. Tell him you're going to talk or something. Then, once he's inside-"_

 _I hadn't realized they were walking my way. With another startled "EEK!" both the girls and I jumped back._

 _"_ _Link!" Ilia was turning a deep red. "I… I didn't know you were… uh… out here," she finished terribly._

 _This whole time, I had been thinking over the conversation. What would Ilia need to talk to Beth about behind a building, and something about taking me to her house? Then it hit me. I hardly ever got angry at people, but that's what I did then. My face contorted into a mixture of hurt and anger._

 _"_ _Oh," I said. "Oh. That's what you wanted me for?"_

 _Ilia was struggling for words. "I, no, I-"_

 _"_ _No, I won't hear it. This night is over." I stormed off, beginning to walk home in the muddy street, ruining my expensive dress shoes. I never looked back at Ilia that day, and never have since._

"Wow," Zelda breathed. "That's… quite a story."

"Yeah," I nodded. "That's the only time I've ever gone out with anybody. I guess that experience kind of ruined it for me, and no girl has caught my eye since."

"So, she just wanted you for… for…" She couldn't seem to bring herself to say it.

I couldn't either. "Yeah, it made me pretty mad." A moment's pause. "I don't know why I'm admitting this to you, but I wouldn't ever date for anything other than love. I know it's kind of cheesy, but, the idea of going out with someone just for…"

Zelda nodded again. "I understand. I'd have the same philosophy, if anyone wanted to go out with me." We both laughed, and the tension drained away. "Wow, thanks for sharing that story with me. It sounds like Ilia really hurt you."

"Not really," I said truthfully, "I only ever asked her to the dance because of pressure from my friends anyway." We stopped walking in front of Zelda's house.

"See you tomorrow," she smiled and waved to me.

"See you tomorrow. Oh, and Zelda?" She turned. "It's a good philosophy."

 **Well, that was an interesting flashback, huh? I will definitely be changing the rating to teen, not because I'm going to be writing any mature scenes (I'm a writer with morals, you know) but because it gives me more freedom when writing stuff like this. So, don't forget to follow, fave, and review, and I'll see you next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, guys! The feedback on this story is overwhelming and already this story is more successful than I EVER imagined. I have the opposite of writer's block right now, it's writing fever. I think when I hit a certain number of reviews, I'll do an extra long chapter or a IRL Q &A to celebrate. What do you think? Reviews are my lifeblood, keep them coming and I'll keep pumping out chapters!**

 **To GlamAngel3766: Yes, "Linky" does have a crush ;) and I thought Telma would be better as the lunch lady, because of the whole bar thing in TP. I'll take those 20 rupees now.**

 **To Walker's Annoying Voice: I'm planning to keep what happened last Friday a secret for now, but it might come back to haunt our heroes in the later chapters. Don't worry about Ganon and his gang, they'll be back realllll soon.**

 **Tuesday – Zelda's POV**

Mom and Dad weren't home when I stepped in the door, which was good, because I had a lot to think about. Something tells me that Link won't share that story with just anyone, and after hearing it, I want nothing more than to strangle this Ilia girl. I mean, I haven't even met her, but how _dare_ she use Link that way?! _Rich kids. Ugh._

I walked up the carpeted stairs to my bedroom and plopped down on my bed. I had quite a few pages to do for Mr. Rusl and Mr. Auru, but a quick nap wouldn't hurt. Or so I thought.

 _I think I'm still in the same castle, but not in the throne room. I'm high in a tower, and outside the sky is an eerie orange. I get up from my cold, bare bed and try the door. Locked._

 _Pressing my face up to the cold metal, I hear footsteps steadily receding. A guard, maybe? But why would I need to be guarded? Another pair of footsteps, faster and lighter, approach the door. Before I can react, the strangest pair of creatures I've ever seen walk through the creaking frame._

 _The figure closest to my eye level is an impish thing, with a glowing yellow eye and hair of the same color, bound with a metal band. It resembles a hand, in a way. Obscuring half the imp's face is an ornate stone mask. It's body is half black and half white, with glowing green marks running up and down its legs._

 _Then I look down. The imp is sitting on a very large dog… no, a wolf. It's black with symmetrical white markings on its head fur. I notice a chain and manacle attached to one leg. It has crystal blue eyes, and matching earrings._ Earrings? On a wolf?

 _The imp lets out a high-pitched feminine laugh. "Eee hee hee!" She (I guess I shouldn't call her "it") places her hands lightly under her chin, leaning on the wolf. "So, I'm back."_

 _Somewhere deep within me causes me to respond. It's not like being possessed by Ganon, it's as if I'm being gently guided from far away. "Hello, Midna."_

 _Midna. That was the imp's name? I am about to ask about her and the wolf and the guard and the sky outside and I have so many questions…_

A hand gently shakes me awake. The stone walls and sparse furniture of the tower recede quickly, replaced by my mother's face.

"Zelda, Zelda sweetie, wake up. It's time for dinner."

I groggily open my eyes. "What time is it?"

"About six. Come on, your father's waiting." She closes the door gently behind her.

 _What's happening to me? Why am I having these strange dreams?_ The dreams didn't even start until I moved here. Before then, my dreams had all been of less intricate things like unicorns and trees made out of cotton candy. _Note to self: don't ever tell_ anyone _that._

I quickly change from my school skirt into some sweatpants and walk downstairs. Mom was right, it really is late. I slept for two hours.

Dinner is pleasant, my parents make idle conversation about school and friends. You know, typical nosy parent stuff. I go back up to my room, spend a few hours solving equations, and crash into bed at about ten thirty. The dream returns as soon as I close my eyes.

 _"_ _Do you really think this could be him?" Midna, the imp, is asking. "The legendary hero?"_

 _I don't even know who she's talking about._

 _"_ _Yeah, you're right. He probably just messed with some shadow magic, eee hee hee!"_

 _Midna pats the wolf's head tauntingly. The wolf huffs and walks in a circle twice, trying to throw the imp off._

 _"_ _Woah there, boy, didn't mean to offend you." Suddenly, the footsteps from the hall come back. "The guard is coming." Her smiling face is serious in an instant. "C'mon, Link, we've got to get out of here."_

 _It takes until they've ran out the door and shut it for me to realize that she'd called the wolf by name._

 **Wednesday – Zelda's POV**

Link and I walk to school in relative silence. I don't want to tell him about my dream, and I assume he doesn't want to talk about Ilia like we did yesterday. Once on campus, he mumbles something about meeting me in Mr. Shad's class and walks inside. I decide to stay out and enjoy the cool morning air for a bit. Finding Link's favorite tree unoccupied, I ponder climbing it for a moment until a large hand wearing a leather glove grasps my shoulder.

"Zelda." Ganon's rumbling voice sounds almost directly in my ear, causing me to jump back into the tree. I turn around and blush embarrassedly, causing Ganon's lips to curl upward even more. There's no trace of the friendly smile he wore during our Monday meeting.

"Glad I could catch you without Greenie around, I've been looking to talk to you. Alone."

The way he said that last word made me shudder slightly. "Uh, I've got to get to Mr. Shad's class." I stammer out. "Talk to you later?"

I start to walk away briskly, thinking I've escaped, until the glove grips my shoulder hard, causing me to squeak a little. _Goddesses, I'm so embarrassing._

"No, Zelda, I want to talk now." I slowly turn around, desperately looking for Link, a teacher, anyone to help me. But the courtyard is deserted.

"What do you want?" I snap out in a last-ditch attempt to sound fierce.

It works. Ganon flinches back, releasing my shoulder. "Ooh, you're a feisty one." Then he notices me rapidly receding into the school halls.

"We're still going to talk, Zelda," he calls ominously from behind me. "But I see now that you want to do it on my terms."

If the guy could get any scarier, I don't dare to imagine it.

Ducking into my history room right before the bell, I slide into my seat behind Link, trying not to look like I'd seen a ghost. Of course, Link's sharp blue eagle eyes noticed it anyway.

"We'll talk after class," I mouthed silently. He nodded and turned around in his seat.

"Good morning, class," Mr. Shad began. "Today is your first quiz on the history of the Triforce."

Several groans sounded from around the room. He ignored them and began passing packets of paper around the rows. "You will have forty-five minutes to complete the quiz. When you are finished, sit quietly or study for another class. You may begin."

The sound of rustling paper filled my ears. Mr. Shad walked over to my desk and whispered, "Since you're new, you can take the quiz another time. Or," he added thoughtfully, "if you feel confident, you can take it today and I'll give you five points extra credit."

"I think I can take it now. I've been studying."

"Good," he looked pleased and handed me a packet. "Glad to see you've been keeping up with your studies." Mr. Shad returned to his desk and I began circling answers. While I was reading problem thirteen, a crumpled wad of paper landed on my desk, startling me.

I unfolded it carefully. _What's wrong?_ I looked up and glanced around the class. I found Link stealthily glancing over his shoulder.

 _I met Ganon in the courtyard,_ I wrote, and after making sure the teacher was absorbed in his work, threw it, aiming for Link's clump of dirty hair.

A few seconds later, a reply came back. _Uh oh. What did he want?_

Absorbed in writing my reply, I didn't hear or see Mr. Shad approach my desk. "Ahem. Writing notes in class, are we?"

He snatched the paper off my desk, read it quickly, and stuffed it into his pocket. "See me after class."

I paled and continued working on my quiz. I could feel the gazes of my classmates, some pitiful, and some antagonizing. I didn't dare look at Link.

After the bell rang and the students left, I approached Mr. Shad's desk, fearing the worst. _I can't get a zero on my first quiz!_ My mind panicked. _My parents will end me!_

But before I could break down crying, Link was there in front of me. "It's my fault, Mr. Shad, I sent the first note."

For the second time in a week, I wondered what I was to deserve such unconditional friendship.

Mr. Shad peered at him over his black spectacles. "I see," he said finally. "Link, you will meet me after school for detention for the rest of the week. That will be all."

Link's voice was a mixture of disappointment and relief. When we began walking out, Mr. Shad said, "Zelda, wait here, please." Link gave me an apologetic look before he disappeared behind the door frame.

I turned to Mr. Shad, my apprehension returning. What was he going to do to me if Link got detention? I feared the worst.

"Zelda, I'm worried about you."

Well, that was not what I expected. "W-what?"

"I read your note," he explained, "and I've seen Ganon with his friends in the halls."

I stayed silent, wondering where he was going.

"Are you being bullied, Zelda?"

Oh. "N-no," I got out finally. "No, I'm not."

My teacher gave me another look and then returned to his work. "You may go."

I have never been so happy to get out a door in my life.

Link was standing against the wall outside. I ran over to him when he saw me. "Link, what were you thinking? You could've gotten much worse than detentions! He could have you suspended for cheating!"

He shook his head with a nonchalance that irked me to no end. Did the boy have any respect for his education? "I know Shad, he wouldn't do that. But," he added, "I don't know if he would do that to you."

It was my turn to shake my head. "He thought Ganon was bullying me, and just wanted to see if I was okay."

He blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah, I just told him no."

Link sagged with relief. "I'm glad you didn't get in trouble because of me, Zelda. But seriously, try to stay away from Ganon from now on, he really is bad news. We can't forget what happened last Friday."

I rolled my eyes. "I can't know if you never tell me what happened."

He grinned. "Right, I hope you never have to find out. You already know too much emotional backstory about me."

The tardy bell screamed at us. "Well, we're late already. Let's get going."

"Like you said, we're late already." Oh, no. What was that look? "So we might as well do something fun while we're at it."

"You mean skip class?" I was horrified, but also a little intrigued. "Where would we go?"

Link set off at a brisk pace, ever-present grin shining in the harsh hallway lights. "You'll see."

 **So, what'd you think of that chapter? Zelda had some more weird dreams, and the day changed mid-chapter. The first time that's happened. As always, my reviews-for-updates exchange rate is better than ever, so why not leave one? I also just realized that there is a slightly similar fanfic called Counting Stars by SausageLink43 that features a school also called Hyrule Academy... I've never read it, but I just want to say that no similarity was intended!**


	8. Chapter 8

**This story hit its 1000th view today, so I will answer some questions you have in the reviews (IRL or story-related). Otherwise, follow, fave, and of course, review!**

 **To TheFanGirl5: Don't worry, it'll be a couple more chapters until that happens, but when it does, I promise not to disappoint!**

 **To TAAAAAAAACOOOO and Forget-Me-Not Writing: Thank you for your support of this fic! Nothing warms my soul like hearing that people like my writing!**

 **Wednesday – Link's POV**

"Please tell me where we're going, Link!" Zelda's short legs (sorry, Zel) were struggling to keep up with my fast stride.

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"Link! Stop, stop," she panted. "Tell me where you are taking me, or I'm going to gym like we are supposed to be."

"Aw, c'mon," I begged. "Don't do that to me. It'll be a great surprise, I promise."

Zelda glared, trying to intimidate me. It had the opposite effect. She's cuter when she's angry.

Finally, she relented. "Fine, but we'd better not get into more trouble for this."

We started walking again, slower this time. "No guarantees. But you can just use your magical powers like you did back in Shad's class."

"It was _not_ magic! He was concerned for me! Like any sane teacher would be!"

"Ah," I gloated, "but let's not forget that I stepped up to save you. He probably took that as me protecting you from getting into trouble because you were talking about being bullied."

"Link!" She stopped again. "Don't brag about that! It makes it less obvious that you care about me."

I raised an eyebrow, but it was impossible to keep the teasing smile off my face. "Who says I care about you?"

"Oh, shut up."

"We're almost to the spot, anyway." I jiggled the knob on a rusty metal door. We were in the farthest back hallway in the school, where janitor's closets and furnace rooms had replaced brightly lit classrooms. It was pretty dirty back here, and sometimes rumors went around about seeing rats.

The door creaked open, revealing a dark and bad-smelling room with humming machinery. I beckoned to Zelda. "After you."

Her nose wrinkled. "I am not going in there. This is your idea of a secret spot?"

"Look, just trust me, alright? I promise it'll be worth it."

She sighed and stepped inside. I closed the door behind us, making the whole room glow an eerie orange. Fumbling in the dark, I reached from memory a few feet to my right, finally grasping a cold metal rung. "Got it."

Zelda grabbed it with me, feeling for what it was. After a moment, she exclaimed, "A ladder?!"

She couldn't see my grin in the dark as I began to climb. The dust was thicker by the ceiling, and I wanted badly to sneeze. This close to the air ducts, though, a sneeze could echo throughout the whole school.

I could hear Zelda's footsteps ringing on the ladder below me, so I opened the trapdoor above my head and bright light once again flooded the room. This time, however, it wasn't mechanical light, but sunlight.

I clambered out of the steel trapdoor and helped Zelda up after that. She might've blushed a little, but I couldn't tell because my eyes were still adjusting to the sunlight.

Zelda blinked, then gasped. "Link… are we on the roof?"

"Yup. Come over here," I patted the ledge I was sitting on. "The view's magnificent."

She sat next to me on the raised concrete square, feet crunching in the rocks. Surrounding us on all sides was the entire campus of Hyrule Academy, and the town beyond. Cars honked down the road, trees swayed in the midmorning breeze, and to the east, the skyscrapers of downtown loomed like spires of a castle.

"Wow, it really is," she said happily after several minutes of silence. I didn't fail to notice her wistful tone and how she gazed longingly at the city beyond. I made a mental note to take her dancing sometime like I'd promised.

"It looks kinda like a castle, doesn't it? The buildings downtown, I mean."

I looked at her, surprised. "I thought the same thing. Maybe they were modeled after one. This city used to be the thriving center of a medieval nation, until the capitol was moved to Castle Town."

We spent another few minutes not saying anything, just looking out at the expansive urban forest. There was Ordon Avenue, a few blocks away. Faron Boulevard's excessive landscaping was visible even from here. Din Road and its massive mansions, Ilia's one of them, shined in the distance. And finally, I saw Nayru Lane, a road running alongside a bubbling river.

Sweeping my vision across the panorama, my eyes settled on Zelda. She was still staring dreamily at the city lights. She looked so peaceful then, so genuine. Rarely did her true emotions show through her teasing façade like this. I suppose I was the same way.

While I was watching her, she shivered. Almost subconsciously, I put my arm around her shoulders, trying to keep her warm. Her violet eyes wrenched away from the landscape, meeting mine for a moment. She opened her mouth slightly, as if to say something, then decided not to and turned around again.

More tranquil silence, then: "We should probably get to lunch."

I saw some of our classmates emerging from the gym on the other side of campus. "Yeah, you're right." I withdrew my arm from her shoulders and we both stretched. The trek down the ladder and through the halls seemed warmer than when we had come, as if an invisible threat had disappeared. I also felt much happier, personally, but attributed it to the refreshing air and grand view. I also thought nothing more of the tingling feeling in my chest.

 **Friday – Link's POV**

The rest of Wednesday and Thursday had passed without anything interesting happening. Zelda and I didn't talk about the roof visit, although I could tell she'd enjoyed it. I was currently sitting in my final detention for Mr. Shad, filing the graded Triforce history quizzes. The clock struck five and I jumped and ran out the door, not caring about disturbing my history teacher. My friends had invited Zelda and me out to the diner again, and I wasn't going to be the late one this time.

I ran almost the whole way home and burst in the front door. "Woah!" Aryll cried from the kitchen. She was half paying attention to something on the stove and half to her latest romance novel, the latter of which she hid immediately after I burst in.

"There's private stuff going on here!"

"Aryll, the fact that you read those cheesy things in no secret. Don't think I haven't noticed them sitting on every table in the house."

My sister ducked down as her face began to resemble a tomato.

"It's okay," I continued. "I'm going out with the gang tonight, so you can be alone if you want."

She nodded. "Okay, see you tonight then."

I strode upstairs into my bedroom, pausing for a moment to admire the sword and shield hanging on the wall. A family heirloom. I dug through my drawers looking for the perfect thing to wear, then just gave up and went with khaki trousers and a green v-neck.

I waved to Aryll again on the way out and jumped in the rust bucket until it occurred to me that I should probably pick up Zelda. I pulled a quick U-turn and drove into her driveway, walked up to the porch, and knocked. This was actually the first time I'd been to Zelda's house, but since we had spent so much time together, I paid no mind to the visit's potential awkwardness.

What I guessed to be her mom opened the door. "Hi, can I help- oh, it's you, Link!" She smiled. "I'm Impa, Zelda's mom. Come on in."

I stepped inside the identical house, feeling as if I was inside my own. Minus Aryll's romance novels, of course.

"She already told me she'd be going with her friends tonight. Just bring her back before midnight, alright?"

I smiled and nodded politely. Just then, Zelda emerged at the top of the stairs, wearing tight jeans, rolled at the bottoms, and a sleeveless top. Perfect for dancing.

"Ready to go?" I asked. She nodded and waved to Impa as we walked out the door.

"Bye, mom!"

"Bye, sweetie, don't forget to be back before midnight."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Of course, mom, I probably won't even be out that long."

When we were getting into the truck, I said, "You'd be surprised."

"At what?"

I revved the engine and we drove toward downtown, the sunset already casting long shadows on the road.

"You said you'd probably not be out until midnight. You always think that, but you're having so much fun you don't even realize its been hours since you walked in."

Zelda grinned. "Sounds like just what I need after a stressful first week of school."

"You have no idea. I went with Darunia one time to this place called Death Mountain. It was sick."

"'Death Mountain'? Sounds like a scary place."

No, it's really cool, trust me. They have a spa called the Hot Spring there, too, for when you completely tire yourself out dancing."

She gave me a look, her long hair flowing behind her in the wind, sparkling in the sunset. "I never took you to be such a party animal."

I shrugged. "I'm not, really, but even I know how to have some fun every once in a while."

"I think you're super fun." She flashed me a grin.

"Well, thanks," I laughed. "Glad somebody thinks so. Because I'm usually _so_ serious."

She laughed in return. Wow, we were like birds of a feather. A few minutes later, the rusty truck sputtered into the diner parking lot. We got out and walked to the corner booth, where Sheik and Malon were already sitting down.

"Darunia and Ruto aren't far behind you," Malon greeted. She looked at Zelda. "Wow, girl, you look ready for a wild night."

Zelda smiled shyly, and I couldn't help but notice how different it was from the genuine, wide grin she had given me during the ride. It was becoming more and more apparent to me that she rarely showed her true self to anyone, so I considered myself lucky to be one.

"Thanks," she said, sliding into the booth. "So, this place is called Death Mountain?"

Malon's friendly smile turned into a fierce, wicked grin. "Oh, yes, it's quite the location. Especially the Hot Spring…"

Zelda looked taken aback. I explained to her, "Malon's usually such a passive soul, but when we go out, she always parties the hardest."

Just then, Darunia rolled through the door, occupying the entire frame at once. "Hello!" he boomed. _Good thing the diner's empty except for us._

The glass door behind him almost closed before Ruto caught it, breathing heavily. "Darn. Looks like I lost again."

"Don't worry about it, guys, Link and Zelda were so late last time they set a new record." Everyone gave us pretend dirty looks.

"These fools make a game out of who arrives last," Sheik explained to Zelda. "It's quite ridiculous, if you ask me."

Ruto slid into the booth, Darunia following. "That's only because you're always the first one here. In fact, you don't even have a car that I know of, so it's anyone's guess how you get here."

Sheik's eyes gleamed. "I'll keep that secret for another time."

Darunia shook his head. "Typical Sheik, always so mysterious."

The waiter walked over to us just then, carrying our usual round of strawberry milkshakes. "Anything to eat?"

"No, thanks," I shook my head. "We'll be out late, so we're trying to keep it light."

The waiter nodded understandingly He, too, had been a teenager once. "Well, I think I'm gonna close up then, since it looks like nobody else is coming in. The door locks on its own, just let yourselves out." Normally, that would never happen, but my friends and I have been coming here for years and the whole staff trusts us by now.

We all waved to him, then Malon spoke thoughtfully, "Zelda, what are you gonna do about the Hot Spring? You didn't bring a bathing suit, did you?"

Ruto lit up at this before Zelda could respond. "Oh, I thought that might happen. I brought an extra of mine for you, Zelda, we should be about the same size."

"Thanks," Zelda said gratefully. I would never understand the whole girls-sharing-clothes thing, but if I got to be in a hot tub with Zelda… _No, Link, what are you thinking?! It's much too early for that._ My mind tried to pound some sense into me, but I ignored it. Tonight was about having fun, and dealing with the consequences tomorrow.

I finished my strawberry milkshake with a slurp. "Well, guys, what do you say we get going? We've got a long night ahead of us, and most of you have a curfew."

"What about you?" Zelda asked. The others at the table looked uncomfortable, and I realized that I hadn't told her about my parents yet.

"They're… uh… on a business trip, remember?" I tried to put on my scheming smirk again, but I think she saw through it. "So no curfew for me."

"Hm." Zelda could see through me like a window. I guessed that she would confront me about it later tonight.

"Well," Darunia said, breaking the tension. "You all know I love the Hot Spring more than anyone, so let's get going!"

"No way," Malon retorted. "You barely even get in all the way, you just wade."

"That's because he's twice as tall as the edge of the pool," Nabooru added sarcastically from the door. We all jumped.

"Nabooru!" Ruto exclaimed, jumping. "I thought you weren't coming…"

"Yeah," I put in. "Something about a fancy dinner for your dad?"

She nodded. "He got sick at the last minute though, so I'm free to go with you guys. Are we going to Death Mountain?"

"Hope you brought a swimsuit," Malon nodded. "I can already tell, it's gonna be a wild night."

 **So, a little bit of drama coming up! What's poor, shy, stressed-out Zelda going to do when she sees the crowded club… and Link in a swimsuit? Ah, just kidding. She already has, remember? I'm getting a little carried away with the romance part, but don't worry, the school angst and Ganon's gang will return, for those of you who like reading about that. This story is a huge experiment for me, writing outside of my comfort zone, so reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Just a heads-up, I received so many questions and comments over the weekend that, against my own personal policy, this author's note is going to be wrong. Even if you didn't review :( or don't normally read responses, I'm clarifying a lot of questions about the story and my update schedule, so you might want to read the responses anyway. There's also a TL;DR at the end of this note.**

 **To TAAAAAAAACOOOO: I plan on adding at least one chapter every weekday, if my life allows it. I also agree, Link saving Zelda is a touching scene anywhere, and that's definitely coming up.**

 **To TheFanGirl5: In the games, Sheik is actually Zelda in disguise (oops, spoiler alert), but for the purposes of this story, I thought her different personalities as each would make good separate characters.**

 **To FariyFlare: Yes! No? Kind of. I actually have had an idea for "obtaining" the Triforce since the first chapter. Ok, to clarify, this is a complete AU. The dreams that Zelda is having I just thought would be cool, it's not a past life or anything. However, in this story, Link and Zelda are the Hero of Time and Princess of Destiny. There will be a scene in which they get a Triforce symbol on their hands, and will discover their magical powers. This story is primarily just a high-school drama session but will definitely have some fantasy/adventure scenes. There's more LoZ content coming that I'm sure you'll love seeing!**

 **To Hiraeth Ianevski (via PM): See the above response for an explanation. Also, no, I won't be adding any BOTW characters since not everyone has met them all yet. :)**

 **To Walker's Annoying Voice, PlopPrince, TAAAAAAAACOOOO, kuiziki girl, lottyyh, and all the rest of my readers and reviewers: Thank you all so much for supporting my story! This had gotten 1,500 views in LESS THAN A WEEK. This feedback is amazing and means the world to me. I just hope that all of you stick with me until the story's end, because I have a lot of great stuff planned!**

 **TL;DR: Whew! I hope I said everything. To summarize, I update once a weekday, Link will save Zelda from something, Sheik and Zelda are different people for different personalities, there's a Hero and Princess coming in this AU, no BOTW characters will be added, and my readers are awesome!**

 **Friday – Zelda's POV**

I can't tell if I want to shout or cry. I've never been to anyplace more rowdy than my own birthday parties, so this club is a very new experience.

That being said, I am totally out of my element here. Death Mountain assaulted me with so many sensations at once I feel like I'm living thirty lives at once. The strobing, pulsing, sweeping neon lights make it impossible to adjust to any level of light, making my friends' bodies look like a slideshow. The smell of chemical cleaner, alchohol, and hot water clogged and soothed my nose at the same time. The pounding music beat nails into my skull.

Link and the rest of his friends seemed totally fine. I was still surprised at timid little Malon for being so hyped, I thought she would be like me, totally overwhelmed.

Thankfully, Link seemed to notice my discomfort. "Don't worry," he said directly into my hear to be heard over the music, "once we find our own corner you'll be able to hear yourself think." He grinned.

I was a bit skeptical, but I decided to wait and see before running straight out the door that we'd come in through. Darunia had just finished talking to a lady behind a glass desk and held up seven keycards triumphantly. I assumed they were our tickets of sorts, I'm not sure how clubs like this work. I opened my mouth to ask him, then realized he wouldn't have been able to hear me anyway.

Our group filed down a dimly but colorfully lit hallway leading away from the crowded dance floor. Even this early in the night, it was packed. I was glad we weren't coming here late, when the real partygoers show up.

At the end of the hallway was two sets of glass doors, with the words "Death Mountain Hot Spring" imprinted on the first. _Finally, some peace._ Inside was exactly what you'd expect to be called a hot spring: a steam-filled area dominated by a shallow in-ground pool, with several attendants bearing white towels standing in the back. Slow, smooth keyboard jazz played in the background- a stark contrast to the pounding techno outside. I much preferred this area. There was nobody else in the spa… weird, considering how crowded the dance floor was. Never mind that, though, I couldn't wait to slip in.

The boys and girls split into locker rooms in the back, and Ruto handed me a folded two-piece that was a beautiful turquoise color. "Oh!" I exclaimed. "You brought this for me? It's so pretty!"

Ruto offered me a conspiratorial wink. "Link'll love it."

It took me a moment to register what she said. "W- what?!" I stammered, halfway confused and annoyed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, stop pretending, Zelda," Ruto chided, as if talking to a child. "We're both women here, and don't think Malon and I don't notice you making googly eyes at him."

Malon piped up from across the room. "Yup, she's right."

Before I could respond, Ruto ushered me into a stall and closed the door. "No time to argue, change up so you can get in!"

I heard her and Malon laugh as they walked out. When I was done after a few minutes, I walked out into the steamy air. This really was something. Everyone else was already inside, minus Sheik and Nabooru, who were lounging on white reclining chairs.

"Hey, Zelda!" Link beckoned me to him. "C'mon inside, the water's heavenly."

Darunia sighed and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. "You've got that right. Nothing beats this."

I sat at the edge next to Link, who was already wet from head to toe. I splashed the warm water with my feet. He was right, it was heavenly. "Just what I need after that stressful first week."

"Mm." Malon nodded in agreement. "It was a stressful week for all of us, especially in light of what happened last Friday."

Everyone but me mimicked her nod. I was a bit annoyed. "Is nobody going to tell me what happened."

"Nope," Link said, grinning at me. "Now get in the water and forget about all your troubles."

Ruto rolled her eyes across the pool. "You're too much." Hey eyes met mine, and she indicated Link behind her back. "Well? You going to get in?"

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe I'll- Eep!" I shrieked as Link yanked me into the water, laughing the whole time. I splashed, sending water all over everyone in the room. I would've seen the attendants shift uncomfortably if I wasn't underwater at the time.

I popped back to the surface, standing inside the spa and shaking the water out of my golden hair, which fanned out behind me. Link's laughing stopped abruptly and he stared at me.

"What?" I asked, still annoyed, and stopped shaking my hair.

"Nothing," he said quickly, tearing his eyes away from my head. "It's just… cool… when you fling your hair like that," he finished lamely.

"Mm." Malon said again, now floating on her back. "Real smooth, wonder boy."

Link flushed red, perhaps the first time I'd seen him do that. It was usually me embarrassing myself in front of him, not the other way around. Ruto grinned at me once again. What was with that girl?

"Hey," Darunia said, finally breaking the awkward silence. "So, what's up, everybody? What are our plans for the weekend?"

"Stay here foreeeeeeverrrrrr," Malon intoned. They hadn't been joking, she really unwound here.

"Alright, but next time pay for your own Hot Spring pass," Darunia joked.

"We should go hunting, it's prime season in the woods this time of year," Nabooru put in, eyes still closed on the lounge chair.

"Hunting?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," Link put in, his first words since he was caught staring at me. "She has a ton of bows, and goes hunting every weekend. Sometimes she takes us with her, and we hunt too."

Nabooru sat up, eyes glowing like a tiger's. "There's nothing like the thrill of the hunt, and I love sharing it with you all." Her face shifted thoughtfully. "Although, the stealth and silence part is ruined whenever Link and Darunia come along. At least Sheik can walk without stepping on every stick and dead leaf he finds."

Link and Darunia mocked looking offended, and Sheik spoke in his usual monotone. "Nabooru is correct. My stealth prowess far outclasses the other males' in this company."

"So how come you've never hit anything?" Link shot back playfully.

The other pool inhabitants, who were listening closely to the conversation, sucked in air. "Good one, Link."

Sheik's smirk turned into a frown. "I'm making an effort. The bow is a new tool for me." He muttered something that sounded like, "I wish you could hunt with throwing knives."

Ruto held her hands above the water, inspecting them thoroughly. "Guys, my hands are turning into raisins. I'm going to dry off."

"Me, too, let's go to the dance floor," Darunia said, following her out. Link climbed out along with him, and I followed Link, my anxiety suddenly returning.

"The dance floor?" I asked, remembering the environment completely different from this one outside the glass doors.

Link flashed me a reassuring grin. "Feeling a little nervous, are we? Don't worry about it, I promise you'll have fun. Just stick with me."

"Oh. Alright…" I was still a little skeptical, but I trusted Link. For the most part. I'm not sure what to think about him pulling me into the water, though.

As Link disappeared after Darnuia into the men's locker room, Ruto turned to me, whispering, "I am so shipping you guys."

"Ruto! Stop talking like that, please!" I don't know why talking about Link made me so flustered. I couldn't tell if Ruto was teasing me or if she was serious.

Malon, still floating tranquilly in the pool, answered my thoughts. "Yup, she's serious. Zelink is one for the books."

"It's official, then," Ruto smiled. "And I will make the perfect advisor for you. This is a perfect night to make a move on him, and frankly, you look like you need someone who knows what they're doing."

"Ruto, I don't need your help to get Link to like me." I was less flustered now.

"As much as I look down upon such affairs of… gossip," Sheik said with disdain, "Ruto is right. You obviously have no experience with catching a boy's eye."

Ruto smiled at Sheik's relaxed form on the white lounger. "And that's why we keep you around, Sheik." He grumbled in response.

"Whatever," I mumbled, feeling my face go red for the millionth time. "Let's just get changed, okay?" We changed quickly and I handed Ruto the swimsuit on our way out. I was back in my jeans and black sleeveless top.

Link was waiting for us outside, oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place. "Ready to face the crowd?" He asked me.

Just then, a tall, dark figure threw open the glass doors. Two other figures were following behind. Nabooru and Sheik sat up in their chairs, their surprise turning to shock when they saw the man, mouths frozen. Malon sat up in the water, imitating all of our surprised faces.

Darunia wandered out of the locker room. "Guys, what's…" Then he froze too.

I was the first one to break the spell, my anxiety and embarrassment forgotten. "G- g- Ganon?!"

 **Friday – Ganon's POV**

Everyone's face was open-mouthed and shocked when I blasted through the doors. Heh. Glad I got the jump on them. I saw Greenie, Diva, Blondie, Hunter Girl, Sneak, Redhead, and Rock Man all inside the room. It was empty, save for them. The two pool attendants at the back must have gone to fetch more towels or something. Perfect.

Zelda was the first to speak. Even better. "G- g- Ganon?!" She spluttered.

I let out a dark chuckle. "Yes, it is I. Surprised to see me?"

The giant was the second one to break out of his stupor. "What… are you doing here?"

"Same as you," I intoned. Oh, how I enjoy toying with them. "Or isn't this a public club?"

"Look, Ganon," Link started, his face red with rage. How cute. "I don't know what your game is, but-"

I wasn't about to let him talk to me that way. "Woah," I feigned surprise, "I have no game. I'm just here to realx after a long week, just like you. And…"

"Well?" The hunter interrupted from her lounge chair. "Spit it out, so you can leave as soon as you tell us what you want."

"Yeah!" The stupid diva girl piped up. "You made fools of us just a week ago. If you're here to do it again, better _think_ again."

She had done her best to look threatening. I sighed. "How timid. No, although I loved watching you squirm last week, I'm simply here for a favor promised to me by the fair Zelda." The blond girl blanched. I love having this effect on people. "Remember?" I prompted. "Or don't you remember our conversation on Wednesday?"

She remembered, alright. I could see it in her eyes. She took a slow, tentative step towards me, as if I would bite her. Suddenly, the obnoxious "wonder boy" Link stepped in front of her, glaring at me with all the courage he could muster.

"Hey, she's not going anywhere with you." Honestly, how could he even show his face around me after that fateful Friday? Zelda was glancing at him like he was the Hero of Time himself. Wow, it didn't take a lot to impress her. I'll keep that in mind.

"Listen, Greenie," I drawled. "I just need to talk to her for a bit, okay?" I gestured behind me. "Zant will keep you company." My comrades stepped out from the shadows of the doorway and leered at the rival group. I'll have to commend Zant later for practicing his intimidating looks. When he first began helping me with errands like these, he looked more like a frightened cuckoo.

Zelda reluctantly nudged Link's shoulder. He turned around, surprised. "Zelda, what are you- "

"Just a chat won't hurt, right?" She looked up at me again, a whole head and a half below my towering stance. "Right?" she whispered under her breath. This was going too well.

Link stepped aside, ever keeping his eyes trained on me. "Alright."

I patted Zelda on the shoulder as she walked out, causing her to tense and my grin to grow wider. Cia turned around and strode by my shoulder, blocking the group's view of their golden girl. "So," I heard Zant say sarcastically as we pushed the glass doors shut behind us, "how has you guys' day been?"

 **Oh, how I enjoyed writing from Ganon's POV. Were you surprised? I'm not going to say much here because of the lengthy intro note, so review and goodbye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I kind of changed my mind. Rather, I don't know if I did or not. In the last chapter's opening note, I established firmly that Link and Zelda were not the princess and the hero, but after reading a few similar fanfics to mine and pondering for a while, I decided that a much more interesting and fun to write story would be involving the Triforce timeline. Please tell me in reviews or PM what you think, but from here on, I'm writing a different story than my original plan, and Link and Zelda will discover their magical powers.**

 **Friday – Link's POV – Death Mountain Hot Spring**

My five friends and I watched Ganon lay a hand on Zelda's shoulder and guide her out, Cia's haughty smirk following them. Zant gave us all a once-over and grinned humorlessly. "So, how's you guys' day been?"

He had the _nerve_! "What does he want?" I growled, still standing protectively though Zelda was already out of sight through the door.

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Don't give us that garbage, Zant," Darunia said, his figure less towering than Ganon's but still threatening. I wouldn't want to get in his way.

Sheik analyzed the situation, red eyes glowing analytically. Malon glared from the dimly lit pool. "Yeah, frogface, tell us what you know."

Zant's yellowish eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't insult me if I were you. Ganon won't be pleased." After a moment, he added a taunt. "Or do you want a repeat of last Friday?"

"That's _it_!" I snapped. "First, you walk in here and take Zelda away from us, ruin our fun evening _away from you_ , then you dare insult us on grounds where _you_ and your gang of _cronies_ caused it in the first place?!"

I was too busy fuming to notice everyone else in the room staring at me, including the two pool attendants who had reentered through the back door. Even Zant looked a bit cowed. "Look, I get that you're touch, but- "

I wasn't about to let the _slime_ finish his sentence. I didn't know why I was so infuriated, but Zelda had just seemed so happy here, and I just wanted her to be happy and accepted and comfortable at her new school, and I wanted to make her happy and I saw how much Ganon scared her, how much he scared all of us, and…

A rage slipped over my features, and I was lunging toward him, until a huge barrel of an arm pinned me back. For a second, I thought it was Ganon, until I saw the worried face attached to it. "Link," Darunia scolded, "Get a hold of yourself! I mean, look at you, you're scaring even _us_!"

I whirled around. Sheik's eyes were frozen in surprise, Malon gaped at me from the pool, Ruto was shooting me a concerned glance, and Nabooru just looked mildly impressed.

My anger slowly subsided, but only when I imagined Zelda's reaction to my outburst. Why had she become so important to me all of the sudden? Why did I care so much about what she thought and how she felt around me? My life was definitely different because of her, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had changed.

Zant took those few seconds to regain his haughty and superior composure. "Well, now that your… _issues_ have been taken care of, it looks like the boss is back."

I turned my gaze to the glass doors. Sure enough, Ganon and Zelda were walking back inside. She was looking paler than when she had left, and Ganon's self-satisfied smirk had been replaced with a brooding frown. Was it bad that I noticed his hand was finally off her? Ugh, I couldn't stand the thought of him touching _any_ of my friends, actually.

"Well," rumbled the dark man. "Thank you all for taking time out of your evening for us. This little chat was important to me."

Zelda stumbled slowly over to me, looking like she was going to be sick. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her protectively and she leaned into me, facing away from our rivals.

"What did you say to her?" I asked, not expecting an answer but instead looking down at her defeated form in shock. "She's been here for a week, for goddess' sakes- "

"It's none of your concern, Greenie. Now, let's roll." He indicated Cia and Zant with a gloved hand, then they strolled out of the Death Mountain Hot Spring like nothing had ever occurred.

The whole group sat in stunned silence, until Nabooru cleared her throat. Slowly, we all turned to look at her. "Let's go," she said simply, and we all nodded. The night was ruined.

 **Friday – Zelda's POV – Ruto's House**

After the disastrous encounter with Ganon's gang, we all headed silently to Ruto's house, who had kindly invited us over to make up for the lost evening.

Ruto was quite rich, as divas like her usually are. Her house was a three-story mansion on the same street as Ilia's. _It must be awkward living on the same street as your English teacher and your crush's ex…_

Wait, did I just call Link my crush? _Oh, don't lie to yourself._ For once, I had to agree with my internal voice. I did have a crush on Link, and I wasn't afraid to admit it. Admit it to myself, at least. Admitting it to Link or his friends comes much later.

I thought back to when I came back from my private conversation with Ganon and how Link had cradled me in his arms when I walked over. I don't think either of us realized what we were doing until a minute later, when we quickly separated and looked away from each other. _A shame, it did feel quite nice_. Oh, stop it.

Anyway, we were all sitting in the first-story living room of Ruto's massive house. Link and I were situated at opposite ends of a loveseat (how fitting), Darunia, Ruto, and Malon sat on a couch. Sheik sat in a massive leather recliner and Nabooru paced in front of the dark TV screen. None of us spoke, just all looked down at the lavish braided rug.

Finally, Nabooru paused her pacing and spoke flatly. "That went well."

"Yes," Malon nodded sadly. "Our perfect Friday night escape, ruined in the span of a few minutes."

Ruto looked at me sorrowfully. "I can only imagine what he said to you, poor Zelda. We had enough trouble with Zant."

The rest of the group grumbled in agreement. I didn't even object to being called "poor Zelda" either.

"So…" Darunia started, stretching his arms out and cracking his knuckles loudly.

"So what?" Sheik snapped.

"So, how are we gonna get back at them?"

I looked at Darunia's face for any sign that he was joking, but found nothing but grim determination. His expression was suddenly mirrored on all the friends' faces.

"Woah, guys, hold on," I said quickly. "No offense to any of you, but he scares the pants off me. I feel pretty confident in speaking for the rest of you, too." A bold statement, but I'm glad I said it. My concerns were voiced, and they could acknowledge them if they wanted.

Malon made a face. "The guy practically radiates _badness_. I mean, Zelda's right, we're all scared by him. Especially after last Friday, we've seen what power he has with the other students."

Link spoke up for the first time, and I was pleasantly surprised by the determination sparkling in his cobalt eyes. "His rule is one of fear," he said poetically, which was strange for the usually sardonic teen. "The other students only listen to him because of what he could do to them and their friends."

"Yeah," Darunia agreed enthusiastically.

"So," Link continued, rising off the loveseat to drive his speech home, "if we show the other kids they don't have to be afraid of him, they'll join us and we can all drive Ganon away together."

"Woah, woah, woah," Nabooru said, holding up a dark-skinned hand. "You're talking about a schoolwide revolution. Ganon has cronies in every grade. His allies would come from everywhere."

Sheik agreed angrily. "And there's no doubt the incompetent staff of Hyrule Academy wouldn't be able to keep up with the bullying happening left and right."

"I can see it now," Malon rolled onto her back, sighing sarcastically. "Breaking: local school experiences an influx of fights and vandalism. Redhead girl found discarded in trash can, suspended by feet."

"Don't be ridiculous, Malon," Ruto chided. "No such thing would happen to you."

"It happened to Mido last year," Nabooru mumbled under her breath. I didn't know who Mido was, but I could believe it for sure.

"Guys," Link was back on his feet again, and I had to admit, he looked pretty inspiring. "Think about it. If we don't do something now, who will? And we'll spend the rest of our high school years being pushed around by those three…" his eyes searched the ceiling, grasping for a word.

"Twerps?" Malon suggested. "Imbeciles? Slugs?"

"All those," Link confirmed. "Do you want to remember your next two years here as the years you cowered in fear?" His voice rose to a crescendo, and everyone in the room looked up to him as if he was the Hero of Time himself. "Or as the years you and your awesome squad of friends took down the schoolwide menace?!"

"Yeah!" Darunia shouted and leaped up, giving Link a friendly punch that alost knocked him over.

"Let's do it!" Nabooru's eyes were alight with hope.

"I support this venture." Sheik raised an eyebrow from his leather armchair.

"Yes!" Malon started doing a little dance. "We're finally going to show those goons who's boss!"

Ruto smiled warmly. "It couldn't hurt to try. What's the worst that could happen?"

 _Detention? Suspension? Expulsion?_ A lot of bad things could happen, and I wasn't so sure. I was about to be the naysayer until I looked into Link's admittedly handsome face. It was so hopeful, so alight with the promise of planning and adventure, that I couldn't help but want to be swept along with him. So instead of being the closed-up, responsible, wise girl that the voice inside my head was screaming at me to be, I let out a broad grin and stood up and put my hand into the circle of friends. "On three."

The smile Link gave me was worth every risk. "One…"

"Two…" We were all chanting now.

"Three!" All seven of us were grinning like maniacs. We were going to go down in Hyrule Academy history.

 **Well! Finally some plot development. I started adding location to the section headers as well, for convenience. Again, don't forget to tell me if you want Link and Zelda to have Triforce powers, or if you want this to be a strictly modern AU. Until next time, my readers!**


	11. Chapter 11

**My reviewers seem to be pretty evenly split on whether this should be a complete modern AU or whether Link and Zelda should find the Triforce, and so am I. I really don't know which direction I want the story to go from here! I guess if there's not a clear majority I'll have to decide for myself. Ugh, decisions. On a similar note, I'm planning on novelizing a section of BOTW after I complete this story. More news on that later, because this story's not even halfway over!**

 **To TAAAAAAAACOOOO: Finally, someone who agrees! I share your view exactly. Ganon is a very cunning individual in this story and his plan will come into place very soon. What that plan is depends on whether Link and Zelda are actually the hero and princess or not.**

 **To Aubreylovesthegames, Matt Cyr, Batch03, and AnriMia24: As you can see, everyone has quite mixed views about the story! If you could give some reasoning behind why or why not I should include the Triforce it could help me decide :I**

 **To kuiziki girl: Heh, your review made me laugh! Like I said to TACO above, Ganon is a cunning little devil. Is he your least favorite character in the games as well or just in my story? :)**

 **Saturday – Link's POV – Ordon Avenue**

I yawned and sat up in my bed, surrounded by the memorabilia hanging on my walls. A Master Sword replica and matching Hylian Shield, a poster of the Hero of Time… the fact that people sometimes compared me to him was flattering.

Sun was streaming through the window as I sleepily put on some clothes and trudged down the stairs to find Aryll humming and bustling around the kitchen, as usual. She smiled up at me as I came down. "A little sleepy, are we, Link?"

I mumbled something incoherent and sat down at the countertop. My sister tended to something on the stove. "You stay up so late on the weekends. It's like you're already in college."

I craned my neck to see what she was making. "That's a lot of pancakes, sis, who're you planning to feed with those? Darunia?"

She laughed. "Yes, actually. Remember, you and your friends were all going to Lake Hylia today, right?"

The fog of sleep slowly drifted out of my mind. I recalled the encounter at the Hot Spring, then sulking at Ruto's house, our pledge to work against Ganon, planning a day at the lake with everyone, and finally driving Zelda home and crashing into bed.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that for a minute."

"Well, you'd better hurry and get what you need. It's nearly eleven."

I stopped rubbing my eyelids and shot her a glare. "You could've told me they were coming over soon before I wasted a few minutes sitting here!"

She just gave me one of those grins only siblings could share. "Better hurry."

I scrambled back up the stairs, grogginess all but forgotten. _A day at the lake! With Zelda!_ I don't know why I added that last part. I could just have likely thought "with Ruto" or "with Sheik" but I pictured her for some reason? Yet again, I dismissed the thought as pure chance and focused on packing for the day. Swim trunks, spyglass, deck of cards, check.

As I finished putting on slightly nicer khakis, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" I flew down the stairs and landed in front of the door, opening it with a mock bow. "Welcome to our humble abode."

I heard a giggle from above my lowered head. Of course Zelda would get here first, she lived next door. "Come on in," I said, straightening.

She walked inside, looking around once again. "It's so strange that all the houses on this block are identical. I feel like I just walked back inside ours."

"Yeah," I agreed, pulling more chairs up to the bar. "Pancakes?"

"Oh, yes, please," she said, sitting. "Aryll, did you make these?"

"Who'd ya think," she said dryly, jerking a thumb in my direction. "It's not like clumsy old Link here could handle a stove."

"Hey!" I could feel my ears turning red at the tips as Zelda laughed again. "I can cook some killer campfire food."

"Yes, in the most uncivilized cooking environment possible, you can scrounge something together. Just leave meals to the women, alright?" I thought that was a little self-demeaning on her part, but whatever.

The doorbell rang again and I answered it again, but less gallantly this time. "Hey, Link," Malon said. "Ready for a day at the lake?"

"Am I ever."

Her face brightened a bit. "Oh, Zelda's here already! Good."

"What?" Zelda swiveled around in the chair to face us. "Didn't want to be left alone with 'little old Link?'"

All the other inhabitants in the room giggled girlishly. "What is this, taunt Link day?" I suddenly wished for some male company. Apparently the goddesses heard my cries, because the doorbell rang again, and this time it was Sheik.

"Greetings," he said in that strange manner of his. "May I come inside?"

"Sure." I stopped him for a second. "Where's your car?"

"I didn't take a car."

"Then how…?" I looked at Sheik quizzically then just shrugged and stepped aside. Before I even closed the door, Ruto, Darunia, and Nabooru all rolled into our driveway in a flashy red convertible.

My mouth hung open a little and I called out to them. "Where'd you get the sweet ride?"

"It's my dad's," Ruto explained from the passenger seat. "He trusts Darunia."

The trusted driver swung out of the driver's side and let Nabooru out of the back, who drawled, "which is a huge mistake. His turns are wider than the whole intersection."

The three remaining guests walked inside and I closed the door behind them. "Woah," Darunia exclaimed, "are those pancakes?! And it looks like there's even enough for all of us!"

Malon mocked surprise. "Really? Because last time we had pancakes I recall you consumed all but three."

Everyone laughed. I cleared my throat, and all their attention turned to me. "So, since she made breakfast for all of us, is it okay if Aryll gets to come with us?"

"Sure!" Ruto cried, and everyone shot Aryll a smile in the kitchen.

My sister gave me a look of gratitude. "If it's too much trouble, I can hang out here…"

"No, no," Malon insisted. "We'd like to get to know you better anyways."

"As I recall, there is a saying to accompany this occasion," Sheik pondered, his red eyes searching the ceiling for an answer.

"The more the merrier?" Darunia prompted.

"No," Sheik insisted, "It was a parable involving a shepherd and some doves. But I suppose that applies too." We all just shrugged. Sheik says those things sometimes.

After quickly devouring a hearty breakfast, we all separated into the two vehicles. For the half hour drive to Lake Hylia, Darunia, Ruto, and Nabooru took the convertible again. Sheik also went with them, reasoning that the ride was part of the experience and his mystic method of travel wouldn't suffice. In my rust-bucket truck, I drove, with Zelda riding shotgun and Malon and Aryll together in the back.

Our posse set off from Ordon Avenue and toward the dirt country roads that marked the peaceful forest around Lake Hylia. Once on the highway, I turned the radio to a banjo-plucking country song, recalling that Zelda had enjoyed it from our ride downtown Monday night. Malon and Aryll were leaning together, having a hushed conversation in the backseat. I was glad my sister was feeling included.

"So," I glanced at Zelda, who was leaning against the window. "What've you got planned for today?"

She looked away from the greenery speeding by and into my face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I've never been to a lake before."

I gave her a shocked expression. "Well," she elaborated further, "I've seen one, but never swam in it or sat by the banks or anything you read about in books. Our lake in Castle Town was too polluted and muddy to really do anything in."

My face broke out into a grin, recalling the last trip I'd taken out here. "You'll love Lake Hylia, it's the opposite. Sparkling clear water, green grass, yellow flowers, and pine trees and hills far as you can see."

"It sounds perfect," she breathed, still gazing at my face. I returned her look, but she didn't turn away.

"It is. The only blighter is this big cannon run by a guy named Fyer. He's pretty nice, but a stinge for money. I've never had the courage to ride it before."

She gave me a surprised expression. "You can ride it? Like, be shot out of the cannon?"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool."

"Isn't there some law against that? I don't know, 'cause for serious injury and probably death?'" The last part she said with dripping sarcasm.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," I reassured, "nobody's ever been hurt on Fyer's watch."

"Hmm. Well, I think you're wise not to try something like that." She turned and continued looking wistfully at the countryside again.

I sighed and returned my eyes to the road, the soft country song still playing in the background.

 **Saturday – Zelda's POV – Lake Hylia**

Link pulled his truck alongside Ruto's red convertible in a big dirt lot that was empty except for us. Tall, dark pines surrounded us on all sides, and a lone footpath led into the trees. It felt so isolated out here, you could be a whole world away from the urban hustle and bustle instead of a few miles.

Aryll, Malon, our driver, and I climbed out of the truck to find the others unpacking some duffel bags and a cooler from the car's trunk. I grabbed my own bag out of the truck bed, which contained my own two-piece, some bug spray, and a bag of marshmellows I had stolen from the pantry. When we were in the house, I had told Link about my secret plan to make s'mores once we got a fire going in the afternoon. He had agreed and stuffed some crackers and chocolate into his own duffel before we left. Weren't the others going to be pleasantly surprised?

After closing the car trunks and trudging down the path for about five minutes, the tree branches overhead opened up and we saw a beautiful scene. It was just as Link described it. Crystal clear water, green grass swaying in the wind, dotted with golden flowers, and the elegant pines all around. I saw the ugly platform with the cannon in the middle too, and the Eldin Bridge freeway we had taken to get over here far above.

"Wow," I breathed, and the other friends imitated me. Well, all except Sheik. He always looked unimpressed.

"Welcome," proclaimed Link, throwing his arms to the sky and facing our group like a tour guide, "to beeeeeaaauuuuutiful Lake Hylia."

We all clapped politely before starting down to a large hill in between the bank and treeline. We all plopped our duffel bags down and decided what to do.

"So," Darunia asked, "Firewood or swimming first?"

"Swimming," Malon decided. "Let's fight off the noonday heat."

Everyone nodded their agreement. Each person wandered off into the forest in different directions, seeking privacy to change into their swimming clothes. I was, again, the last one to finish and wandered out to see everybody splashing around in the lake and laughing like maniacs.

Link clambered onto the bank, dripping wet, grinning as usual. I mentally noted that this was the third time in a week I'd caught myself looking at him shirtless coming out of the water. _His arms…! They just… flex so… naturally!_ I shook such rebellious thoughts out of my head and ran toward them, the soft autumn grass caressing my feet.

"Zelda!" he called. "The water is perfect!"

"No it isn't, you twerp," complained Aryll. "It's freezing cold! You said so yourself!"

He whirled around and made a "Ssh!" gesture to Aryll. I stopped my joyful running and halted in front of him. "Are you tricking me?"

"No," he said suspiciously, his grin widening. "I'm serious, it's great."

"Let me check." I gave him a sidelong glance, trying not to let my teasing smile show through. I bent over and dipped a hand in the water, immediately withdrawing it. "Brr! That's fr- "

But before I could finish, I cut myself off with a shriek as Link pulled me in. The second time in a week. I'm pretty sure my life is repeating the same scenes in different settings by now.

I resurfaced in the chilly lakewater, shaking my hair out and spraying water all over Link, who pushed away with an "Ack!"

"That's what you get, you scheming brat." My smile contrasted my harsh tone.

"Aw, come on, Zelda!" He insisted. "It's your fault for falling for the same trick twice in less than twenty-four hours!"

Nabooru chuckled from across the water. "He's right, you're quite gullible, Zelda."

"Don't worry," Malon reassured, "you get used to it after a while." She was right, the water already was seemingly warming up.

"Maybe you're right," I said, my small smile growing mischievously. "But that won't stop me from starting a… _splash fight!_ "

I hurled the spray of water I had been collecting in my hands directly at Link, who spluttered again. "Hey! No fair!" When I threw another volley his way, a massive obstacle absorbed it instead.

Darunia looked amused. "Hey, Link needs a teammate to balance it out."

"A little spontaneous, are we, Zelda girl?" Ruto grinned slyly. She offered me the same wink she had given me at the Hot Spring… _Oh, she thinks I'm doing this to hit on Link!_

I turned back to him to try and clarify somehow, but when Darunia stepped aside, I saw Ruto's expression mirrored on his own. "So," he flaunted, "you want to play that way?"

I paled slightly. "Eep!" Link had wrapped an arm around my shoulders and plunged me underwater again. "Link!" I tried my best to sound annoyed, but for some infuriating reason a pleased smile kept coming out instead.

He seemed to be having the same problem, at least. He kept trying not to look at me, but every time his eyes darted around, as if to focus on something else, his shining cobalt gaze met mine again. If I would have had control of my own mind at this moment, I would have seen the other lake inhabitants watching with amused faces. _Goddesses, what am I going to do?_

 **A little more romance in this chapter, eh? I promise that once the weekend is over, there will be some more action and stuff, but I like writing the "romance cookies" for those who enjoy it. Anyway, remember to review to help me decide whether to include the Triforce magic or not, or just review anyway. Actually, do review anyway. Please. (#shamelessbegging) See you tomorrow!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry, sorry, sorry! My update schedule might have been a little too much to swallow with all the stuff I have to do IRL. I'll try to update as much as possible, but every weekday might not be attainable… I'm trying to get this chapter out, so no replies today, but that doesn't mean I don't love you, reviewers!**

 **Saturday – Zelda's POV – Lake Hylia**

After the little incident(s) with Link, the others started clambering onto the bank to start a fire. It was about three in the afternoon, and clouds rolled over the Hylian sun, making it too cold to swim but perfect for a campfire. When Link and I were the last ones in the lake, I moved to swim ashore, but he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

I turned slowly, not really knowing what to expect. "Yes?"

"C'mon," he said, his eyes still darting around and avoiding mine. "There's something I want to show you."

I was skeptical at first, but the last time he wanted to show me something, I got a beautiful view of the city. So I followed behind him, swimming to the opposite side of the lake which was hidden behind some trees.

Rounding the bend, I saw a magnificent sight. Looming above us and blocking out the already cloud-covered sun stood a massive waterfall. The liquid cascaded from hundreds of meters above, taking a graceful then finally splashing down into the lake below in a storm of white froth. I took an involuntary breath in, and Link smiled at me tentatively, pulling me closer to the falls.

"Are you crazy?" I shouted to be heard over the now-roaring torrent.

"Probably," he nodded, and continued forward. Then, just as we would have entered the foam, he leaped through it out of the water, pulling me behind him and causing my mouth to emit a yelp. We landed not in water, but in…

"A cave?" I wondered aloud. It was small but cozy, the light rocks constantly wet with the ever-present falls just behind them. It went about three meters back, enough space for a couple of teenagers to sit and look out at the rear of the cascade. Which is exactly what we were doing.

Somehow, the cave nullified the roaring of the falls, and we could hear each other talk without much effort. When we had gotten settled on the cave floor, Link turned around and looked at me directly in the eyes for the first time since we'd gotten to the lake, his normally joking demeanor completely serious for once.

"Look, I don't exactly understand what's going on between us," he began after a shaky breath, "but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

I nodded, choosing to stay silent. We both knew how our antics looked to the rest of the group, and I couldn't help but wonder whether we were going to stop acting that way soon.

"Even after only a week, I feel like I can trust you." He eyed me, and I met them right back. "Maybe it's what you say, or what you do, but somehow, my instinct says I should tell you this." He took a deep breath, and if he hadn't already said he wasn't here to talk about… _us_ … then I would've thought as much now. "Or rather, show you this."

He cautiously extended his hand, palms facing down. On top of his hand was etched a single black shape, a triangle. Within this shape was a smaller, upside-down triangle, which separated the larger one into three right-side-up shapes.

Looking back, I'm a bit embarrassed at my first reaction to this. "You got a _tattoo_?"

Link looked at me quizzically for a moment, then shook his head vigorously. "No, no, it's not a tattoo. As strange as it sounds, this appeared on my hand just today. It must've shown up while we were swimming and my hand was underwater."

"Well, if it's not a tattoo, wouldn't it have washed off?"

"That's what I thought, too, but no amount of scrubbing has removed it. It seems permanent, but I swear I didn't do anything to put it on there."

"Let me see it." I leaned closer to him, reaching out to him and taking his hand, trying to feel the strange marking. But as soon as I touched him, both of our hands flared with a brilliant golden light and I reeled back, almost falling out of the cave.

"What was that?!" He asked, a panicked expression on his face. "I didn't… I mean… what was…"

I held up my own hand to examine it, and paled. "Um, Link?" I beckoned him over and showed him the identical marking that had appeared on my hand.

He cradled his head in his hands, rocking back on his knees. "Oh, no," he groaned. "What did I do? Is this some kind of disease?"

I pondered this. "It's possible," I replied finally, still inspecting my hand. "But look, what does this symbol remind you of?"

"Geometry?"

I chuckled despite the situation. "No, dummy, think history class."

Realization dawned on him. "Oh, the Triforce! Why didn't I see it earlier?"

"Probably because you were too freaked out." I looked past the cave opening at the waterfall beyond. "We should probably get back."

"Yeah, but only one thing first. How are we gonna hide these from everyone else?"

"Hmm. Maybe we don't have to." Another quick look at my hand revealed the Triforce had faded to a darker shade of my pale skin, looking more like a birthmark or drawing than a… cosmic tattoo or whatever it was.

"This is too weird." Link shook his head again. "We should avoid touching hands, because of the light trick…" He stuttered quickly after this. "Not that we do that, touching hands I mean…"

I smiled at him, a genuine, bright one this time. He was so clumsy around me, and I think I was starting to guess why. _It's best that you don't encourage him. Besides, a relationship between you two could get pretty awkward._ _But, on the other hand, you are neighbors, so that would be convenient._ I told the voice that was my conscience to shut up, only eliciting more rebellious thoughts. _C'mon, Zelda, you know you like him._

"Let's get back." I distracted myself with jumping into the waiting lake, which had the added bonus of hiding my reddened face from the object of my embarrassment.

 **Saturday – Link's POV – Lake Hylia**

Well, this is new. I was honestly planning to show Zelda the waterfall cave for a different reason, but once I saw the Triforce "tattoo" on my hand, I went on instinct and decided to trust her with my secret. Besides, I'm miserable at keeping secrets unless somebody else knows, and I'm glad I told Zelda instead of someone more likely to tell. I wasn't anxious to get mass media attention, or at the least, attention from my friends about my new "tattoo."

Anyway, with the Triforce conveniently faded into my skin, it wasn't noticeable unless you were looking for it. So Zelda and I went back to enjoy s'mores with the gang. It was a fun time, we stayed out until dark talking, dancing, and just enjoying ourselves and nature.

The walk back to the truck was full of lively conversation about school, family, and friends, with all thoughts of Ganon pushed to the back of our minds at least until school started up again on Monday.

"So," I started, sidling up to Aryll. "Enjoy yourself today, little sis?"

"Yeah!" She exclaimed happily. "I saw so much with your telescope, too, the one I got you for your birthday a while back."

"Glad it's getting some use," I drawled. "I barely go outside our yard enough to see anything with it."

She rolled her eyes. "It's okay, Link, go ahead and offend me." Her sarcastic grin told me she was joking, thankfully. With my parents long gone, I cared about Aryll greatly simply because she was all I had left. Speaking of which, Zelda still doesn't know about my parents. I did say earlier that I trusted her… but how would she react when she found out I'd been lying to her this whole time?

 **Told you I'd add the Triforce. I actually didn't but it got the most votes, so here it is. There's going to be a comedic scene in the next chapter about that, so stay tuned. Now for some information about my stories: like I said, every weekday is a pressing schedule. I'm definitely updating at least twice a week, at minimum, so let's leave it at that. I've written the first chapter of my BOTW novelization, too, so be on the lookout for that soon. Please, please, please review! Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Well, well, well. Look who's back from the dead! Me! Not really, I just waited until today to update. I have a lot of great ideas for the next few chapters, so be sure to stay tuned. As always, thank you to each and every reviewer, you guys rock!**

 **Sunday – Zelda's POV – Ordon Avenue**

I woke up from the most refreshing sleep I've had in a long while to discover I was home alone. Not wanting to cram my schedule with too much since I first moved here, my parents had gone off to worship Sunday morning without me. Upon walking downstairs, I discovered a note saying they would be running errands until dinnertime, leaving the house to me for the day.

Upon preparing breakfast for myself, I kept glancing at my hand. The faded, brown Triforce mark itched on my hand. I noticed the bottom left triangle was slightly larger and darker than the others. _I wonder if Link has the same thing?_ This inspired a thought. Link and I both had the same mark, so if we met up to do some research today, we could maybe figure out how to hide them or deal with them before school tomorrow. A _nd if anything besides research happened to occur…_ I really needed to shut that voice up. It was going to get me into trouble someday.

Shoving all non-research related thoughts of Link aside, I picked up the phone and dialed his cell. It rang three times before a crackling silence filled the line.

"Uh, Link?" I said after a moment.

"What?" He had probably just woken up.

"Did you just wake up?"

"Mmhm."

"Well," I launched into a speech, "I was thinking that, because of the strange symbols that we saw yesterday, on our hands, you know, the glowing ones that looked like the Triforce…"

"Whoa, slow down, Zelda." I could see him holding up a hand in my mind's eye. "All you had to say was, 'want to come over?'"

"Yes, but that would imply we were doing something unspecific." I felt the sudden need to clarify. "You are just coming over for research."

"Gosh, you're such a nerd," he said, his eye roll coming across in his voice. "I'll be there in five."

"Five minutes?" I asked, surprised. "But I haven't had breakfast yet, and you just woke up!"

"I'll just eat breakfast at your house," he said, before cutting the call short.

"Well," I grumbled into the receiver, "you're welcome for the invitation."

 **Sunday – Link's POV – Ordon Avenue**

I had barely even knocked once on Zelda's door before she flung it open. "Five minutes, thirty-seven seconds. You're late."

She looked so cute when she had her hand on her hip like that. A confident smile and a raised eyebrow completed her self-satisfied image. Wow, I liked it. "Look, it's still faster than my usual, alright? Be glad I graced you with my company."

"You're insufferable." She turned on her heel and led the way inside, where the coffee table in the living room housed a small, silver laptop, open to a web search. "I started looking for other examples of marks appearing on people that could be transferred by touch. The only real example is the plague."

I made a face. "This is no plague, or else we'd be sick already."

She nodded. "I feel the opposite, actually. I feel more alive than I have in… years."

I pondered this for a minute. "So maybe the marks signify some kind of special powers. Look for, 'marks signifying power' or something like that."

Keys clacked for a few moments. "Well, there's certain desert cultures that mark themselves as a coming-of-age ritual. They mark their foreheads, though."

I leaned over her shoulder to look at the search results and pointed excitedly. "Hey, those guys tattooed the Triforce on their hands to look like the Hero of Time!" I laughed. "What a bunch of morons."

Zelda gave me a frown. "Even if the Hero of Time is just a legend, you should be respectful. They act in church as if he's real."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, Zel, you can't really believe that. I suppose the Princess of Destiny and the Sages and the Demon Thief are real, too?"

"Hmm. I guess the whole story is a little far-fetched." She thought for a bit. "And if the Hero really reincarnates, then he would've stepped up and we would've heard about it on the news or something."

"So," I summarized, "the only real example of a Triforce on the hands is the Princess and the Hero of legend. How helpful."

"There's got to be something else," Zelda pressed. "We should keep looking."

And we did. For hours. Nothing even remotely similar except the Princess and the Hero came up. Finally, we decided to take a break and get some snacks. While lounging at the bar, she asked, "What's with the nicknames?"

"What?" I said, turning my head toward her in confusion.

She gazed at me dully. "Don't think I missed that."

"Missed what?" Her look turned smothering. "I seriously don't know."

"Calling me ' _Zel_?'" She prompted. "What, are we on a pet-name basis now?"

I sighed and leaned back in exasperation. "We're friends, it's not weird. Why are you so offended by that? Can I not show affection for my close friends?"

"It is weird, _Linky_."

"Okay!" I sat up again. "That's not even a real thing!"

"Neither is 'Zel.'" She paused. "And what affection do you mean?"

I flashed back to seconds earlier. ' _Can I not show affection for my close friends?_ ' Oops.

"Ah, nothing, I just wanted to show that somebody loves you," I teased.

"Oh." Her face seemed to relax, but she frowned at the same time. _What does that mean?_ "Well, good."

We sat in awkward silence for several minutes. Finally, I broke the silence. "So, are we going to keep trying at this, or give up for now?"

We looked at our hands simultaneously. "They seem pretty unnoticeable for now," Zelda agreed. "We should be okay for school, as long as nobody looks too closely."

"And we don't accidentally touch hands," I added.

"Right." The awkward silence returned. Why could I not just be _normal_ around her nowadays? It was like I lost all coherent thoughts and just said whatever came into my head. I probably looked like such an idiot to her. What happened to the suave, confident, funny attitude that came so easily around my other friends? Maybe it would return with the school week. Or maybe it would just get worse and I'd gradually become less popular. Or maybe-

"Link," she said, her concerned face coming into focus behind her waving hand. "You alright?"

"Sorry," I shook my head, trying to dispel my musings. "Just lost in thought."

She gave me a slight smile. It was timid, coy, maybe a little flirty. "About what?"

I returned her smile with a confident slant of my own lips. "About all the things I'd rather be doing than researching boring stuff with you, nerd girl."

'Nerd girl' laughed and her smile widened into a grin. Ah, the ringing of crystal bells. "Like what, Linky?"

The retort took me by surprise. I had regretted the words as soon as they had come out of my mouth, immediately wanting to take them back in case Zelda took them the wrong way. But she could always tell when I was teasing, and making her laugh took all my worries away. Since I wasn't expecting a reply, however, I struggled for a response. "I… uh… plenty of things… like…" Goddesses, I'm such a klutz. Finally, I just hung my head and whispered to myself, "nothing."

"What was that?" She giggled and leaned closer to my face, her warm breath caressing my hanging hair. "Speak up, Linky."

Uh oh. I had said that out loud. I knew instantly that I wouldn't be able to come up with a believable response. My only option was either to deny I said anything… or go for broke and tell her what I really had meant.

Life is full of choices, isn't it?

"I said," I began in the same low voice now that she was listening closely, "that there was nothing I'd rather be doing than researching boring stuff with you."

She was silent for many long seconds. I finally looked up, expecting shock, dismay, or even disgust. But I was the shocked one when I saw nothing but joy sparkling in her deep violet eyes. Whoa. Wasn't expecting that one.

"Me neither," she breathed, our faces almost touching. We stayed like that for a long time. It might've been minutes, hours, or even weeks for all we cared. I don't even remember getting up, or leaving, or the rest of my day. I only remembered laying down that night, trying to fall asleep, my dreams haunted by a pair of purple irises.

 **Bit of romance in this chapter, huh? I hope you enjoyed it. Like I keep saying, this is not what I usually write about, when I write fanfiction at all. That being said, please review, and don't be afraid to speak your mind! If you don't like these romance sections, say so, and I'll focus on the drama more. It's your story as much as mine!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for sticking with my story, everyone! I appreciate all feedback and hope you are reading until the end. Once I publish the last chapter (I plan to go to 35 or so) I'll go back and remove all author's notes except the first and last ones in the story.**

 **To TAAAAAAAACOOOO: Not sure what you mean but there's more romance than that little tidbit coming, if that's what you wanted! Thanks for all your reviews!**

 **To FierceDeityLinkMask: Heh, and that's not even the best of my abilities. :) This story will have multiple plots going (hence the Friendship/Romance genre) but I may consider writing some fluffy oneshots in the future.**

 **Monday – Zelda's POV – Hyrule Academy**

Back in the saddle, I suppose. I felt so at home with Link and his friends during the weekend that I forgot how new this school was to me. Speaking of Link, I'm glad he's here to keep me sane. Without him, I would've collapsed long ago. As for that little moment we shared yesterday… well, that was yesterday. Don't ask me what I mean by that.

The more prevalent problem at hand was my schoolwork. I had been having so much fun (and lack thereof, with Ganon) that I had forgotten about schoolwork. What were my parents going to think when their little straight-A student brought home a zero on her second week?!

Hmm. Like I said, Link keeps me sane, so maybe I'll ask him about it.

The shrieking bell pierced my skull with a thousand metal nails, signaling the start of class. That's not an exaggeration, by the way, it really does sound that bad. Mr. Shad, oblivious to our obvious pain at the noise, strode in and immediately began handing back our Triforce history quizzes.

Before I knew it, he was at my desk, slipping onto it a packet of paper face-down. The last time I had seen this was when Link and I were passing notes in class, which seemed like ages ago now.

I slowly slid the paper onto its front side. A red letter "A." _Not bad for your first test at the Academy, huh?_

Curious, I leaned back to the desk behind mine. Mr. Shad had just placed Link's on his table. "What'd you get?" I whispered.

He peeked under the front of the packet and blanched. "Uh…"

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

He said nothing, but simply flipped the paper around and slid it toward the back of my chair. On it was writing a blaring red "F," along with "See me after class."

I winced. "First detention, and now this? You're not doing too hot in Mr. Shad's class."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I immediately wanted to take them back. There was a fine line between teasing and ridicule, and I think I'd just crossed it.

"Oh, it's… it's fine," he said, trying to sound nonchalant and shrug it off. I could hear the hurt in his voice though.

Not knowing what to say, I turned back around. We spent the majority of class reviewing what the next unit would hold and by the end I had completely forgotten about Link's grade.

I made it about halfway down the hall to the courtyard doors when I realized Link wasn't walking with me. Turning back around, I approached the door to the now-empty history classroom. As I approached, I heard voices inside, and decided against my better judgment to listen silently.

"Mr. Shad, I really have no idea what's going on."

"Link, there is no further discussion to be had! You got a bad grade, and that's that!"

"Please," he begged, "hear me out. I know I'm not the best student, and I studied relentlessly for this quiz! At the very least I would have expected a C!"

There was a pause. "I'm afraid nothing we can do now will fix your quiz grade, Link. The only option is to study harder for the next one to raise your overall grade."

"But a grade like that on a quiz will destroy my final marks! You know that!" He sounded really desperate now.

I heard the history teacher sigh. "You're right. You aren't the best student. Frankly, if it wasn't for your usual slacker behavior, I might allow a retake. But I simply don't believe that you studied for this test, Link. You got too many questions wrong."

"I can prove it to you, Mr. Shad," he tried. "Ask me one of the questions from the packet, I'll get it right, I-"

"No, Link. And that's final. If you want to talk about extra tutoring, see me after school."

Footsteps slowly approached the door. I looked the other direction and leaned casually against the wall. Finally, his dejected face emerged from the doorway. He looked worse than he sounded. Honestly, I never would have expected him to care so much about his grades. An "F" is unfair to anyone, but he did work hard. I saw him studying.

"Well? How'd it go?" I asked, putting on a perky façade.

"Not great," he mumbled.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"I just don't understand!" he burst out about halfway down the hall. "I could _swear_ I knew those answers. But on my paper, somehow a different one is circled!"

I put a hand gently on his arm. "It's okay, I'm sure your parents will understand."

He froze. "Y-yeah," he finally choked out, "I'm sure."

That comment had been meant to cheer him up, but it had the opposite effect. Link without his trademark smile made the whole school seem darker, and it persisted for the whole day. He left early from lunch and I walked home alone, he presumably talking to Mr. Shad once again. I didn't give the "parents" comment another thought, but I did think plenty about how I missed his lopsided grin keeping me company.

 **Tuesday – Link's POV – Ordon Avenue**

Another day had past of dejected failure. I came in the door about 5:30, finding Aryll already preparing dinner. She had gotten a ride from some guy named Kafei that I had seen in the hallway a couple of times and trusted enough to drive my sister around while I was at tutoring. His girlfriend Anju seemed pretty nice, too.

"Hey, big brother," she chimed as I trudged in, looking down at the floor. "You look depressed."

"I am," I groaned. "Everything's falling apart at school, and it's not even homecoming yet."

She frowned, putting her wooden spoon down next to the pot boiling pasta. "I heard about your test."

"Thanks for your concern, _mom_ ," I said dryly, "but I can handle my own problems, thanks."

Aryll flinched back. "I didn't mean it that way. I'm on your side in this."

I looked up wordlessly. "I saw you studying all last week," she continued, "and I don't see how it's possible that you failed that badly. My theory is that you were either distracted during the test or had an enemy who sabotaged you."

I snorted despite myself. "I don't think it's either of those, Aryll." Disappointed, she rolled her eyes and went back to stirring the pasta.

Sitting at the bar, I mulled her words over. It was true that I was distracted by the test, I was writing notes to Zelda. What were they about, again…?

 _A crumpled wad of paper landed on Zelda's desk, startling her._

 _She unfolded it carefully._ What's wrong? _She looked up and glanced around the class. She found me stealthily glancing over my shoulder._

I met Ganon in the courtyard _, she wrote, and after making sure the teacher was absorbed in his work, threw it, aiming for my clump of dirty hair._

 _A few seconds later, a reply came back._ Uh oh. What did he want?

 _Absorbed in writing her reply, she didn't hear or see Mr. Shad approach her desk. "Ahem. Writing notes in class, are we?"_

 _He snatched the paper off her desk, read it quickly, and stuffed it into his pocket. "See me after class."_

 _She paled and continued working on her quiz. She could feel the gazes of our classmates, some pitiful, and some antagonizing. She didn't dare look at me._

I remembered it vividly now. Ganon had met her in the courtyard before school, who had told her he wanted to talk. She had refused, but he got to talk to her anyway on Friday at the Hot Spring. Now another memory surfaced in my mind…

 _My five friends and I watched Ganon lay a hand on Zelda's shoulder and guide her out, Cia's haughty smirk following them. Zant gave us all a once-over and grinned humorlessly. "So, how's you guys' day been?"_

 _He had the nerve! "What does he want?" I growled, still standing protectively though Zelda was already out of sight through the door._

 _"_ _I haven't the slightest idea."_

 _"_ _Don't give us that garbage, Zant," Darunia said, his figure less towering than Ganon's but still threatening. I wouldn't want to get in his way._

 _Sheik analyzed the situation, red eyes glowing analytically. Malon glared from the dimly lit pool. "Yeah, frogface, tell us what you know."_

 _Zant's yellowish eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't insult me if I were you. Ganon won't be pleased." After a moment, he added a taunt. "Or do you want a repeat of last Friday?"_

Ganon had forcefully infiltrated and successfully ruined our Friday night out. Not long after that incident, I had lunged and tried to attack him and his crony, Zant. Ganon had simply scoffed and walked away, but I remembered seeing the irritation in his eyes at my retaliation…

"I was right," I breathed, realization suddenly striking thunder in my brain.

"What was that?" Aryll gave me a strange look from across the counter.

"I was right," I repeated, louder this time. "It wasn't a distraction or a sabotage that failed my test. It was both."

 **Suspense! Excitement! Cliff hangers! Dang, I can really get going when I'm writing this story. As usual, stay tuned and review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**And the seemingly random plot developments come full circle! I know this update is slightly unusual but I just HAD to get this chapter out!**

 **To Walker's Annoying Voice: And that's only the beginning. muahaha**

 **To darkerthanlight: I'm pretty sure no reincarnation of Link has had to go to school at all, really. Wait, SS Link went to the Knight Academy! Hmm, this all seems a little familiar…**

 **Tuesday – Link's POV – The Diner**

Zelda's dazed expression was the last one to slide into our corner booth. Next to her was Malon, then Ruto, Sheik, Nabooru, and Darunia. They all wore some version of confusion, anger, or sympathy, for those who had already heard about my test.

I cleared my throat, which was unnecessary, because they were all looking at me already. "Alright, so, I bet you're wondering why I called this meeting here tonight."

"Link," Nabooru smiled thinly, "you sounded so excited on the phone I'd be unimpressed with anything less than winning the lottery."

"No," I shuffled uncomfortably, "but it is important. It's about Ganon."

Flashes of a certain Friday afternoon permeated everyone's memory but Zelda's. They sat attentively, not knowing what was next.

"I don't know his full plan, but I have an idea. He's trying to get me expelled."

Ruto let out a short gasp. "What? But… how could he?"

Darunia straightened in his seat and mashed his fists together. "Don't worry, brother, we won't let him get us this time."

Sheik shook several strands of hair out from under his cloth cap. "When do we strike?"

Malon and Zelda both simply gave me expectant looks, waiting for more. That was what I loved most about my friends. You didn't need to give any argument, or proof, or anything for that matter. They had my back, whether I wanted or deserved it or not.

I cracked a grin at the thought, my first genuine smile since the test fiasco. "Thanks, guys."

Malon threw up her hands in agitation. "Well?! Don't keep us waiting!"

My face quickly turned serious as I remembered the purpose of our meeting. "Right. So, as you've all probably heard, I failed Shad's first test." Several hard looks softened into sympathy. "But as you've also probably heard, I studied. I studied hard." Nods all around. "I'm not the best student, and I'm willing to admit it. I make C's regularly, and D's when I'm shrugging a class off. But a test? And Shad's, at that?"

Nabooru was the first to figure out where I was going with this. "You have always been a history buff, Link. It doesn't make since that you would crash and burn so… unexpectedly."

"Right," I nodded. I was gaining momentum as I talked. "So, as I was talking to Aryll over dinner an hour ago, I thought back to when I was taking the test."

Beside me, Zelda tensed slightly. _Oh._ As selfish as it sounds, I hadn't considered that she might want to keep her previous meeting with Ganon a secret from the group. But it was too late to stop now.

"Zelda and I were passing notes," I explained, "about her meeting Ganon in the courtyard before the test. She had come in later than usual, and I asked her about it. Apparently, Ganon said he wanted to talk, and he'd come find her."

"So he did," Zelda suddenly broke in. "When we were all at the Hot Spring Friday night, he told me what he wanted to say. Or, part of it."

"What did he want?" Ruto pressed.

Sensing her reluctance, I jumped in. "It's not important right now." She gave me a suspicious glare and Zelda relaxed beside me. "What is important, though, is his reaction. Remember when Zant shimmied around the subject when we asked what he wanted?"

Malon burst into giggles. "Yeah, and I called him 'frogface?'"

Everyone appreciated the levity. A few chuckles were allowed, then I continued my speech. "He was hiding something. Something big." I glanced at Zelda again. "If what he told Zelda was important, I trust she would've told us by now." This time, I launched on without letting her comment. If the group got suspicious of her, I was afraid she wouldn't feel welcome anymore. "When looking at the packet, I remembered a question in particular. Number thirteen. It said, 'Who is the male bearer of the Triforce of Courage?'"

"The Hero of Time," Darunia answered quickly. "And you knew that, because you're a history buff."

I nodded enthusiastically. "Right! And I swear on the test I circled 'Hero of Time.' But on my graded packet…"

"Something different was circled," Malon completed, wide-eyed and breathless. "So someone sabotaged your test."

"Yes!" I was elated that finally, someone believed my crazy theory and was putting it together.

"But there's more," Sheik intoned with a raised eyebrow, and unusual expression of emotion for him. "How could Ganon have switched the test? They're locked in Shad's office around the clock, and never leave until they're already graded."

"When does Shad grade tests?" I prompted.

"On the weekend, I think," Zelda piped up.

"Right. And when's the only time Shad leaves his office early?"

"Friday night, before he comes back to grade them on the weekend." Nabooru's face said she had already figured it out.

"And when's the only time Ganon could be _absolutely_ sure I wasn't there at school?" I glanced around and saw everyone else gradually beginning to understand.

"When we were at the Hot Spring!" Malon cheered enthusiastically.

"Woah, there," Darunia held up a hand. "How can we be sure that Ganon's goons got inside on Friday? I mean, Cia and Zant were both there with us."

I shrugged, but kept a determined face. "That's what I can't figure out. Ganon has ties all around the school, in almost every class. Anyone could have been working for him."

The booth fell silent. This was true, Ganon's empire stretched across many friends and unwilling associates in Hyrule Academy. I met each of their eyes until my gaze landed on Ruto, who was evidently thinking hard.

After another moment, she spoke up slowly. "Well, not to be blunt or anything, but you guys all know I'm not the smartest student either."

"Aw, Ruto," Malon put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't say that!"

Ruto shook it off gently. "No, it's true. But I also know a thing or two about the social hierarchy."

This was also true. Ruto was a cheerleader and had almost as many social connections as Ganon, and was high-ranking in popularity. It was a miracle she even hung out with us, actually.

"So," she continued, picking up steam as I had sharing my conspiracy. "Not just anybody could do that. I spend more time than I'd like to admit discussing popularity with my shallow cheerleader friends." Ruto paused, giving a small guilty smile. "And I hear plenty of rumors about Link."

I didn't know how to respond to this, so I just reddened.

Ruto grinned at me now. "Oh, yeah, you're quite the hot topic among our fellow female juniors." She winked.

"Where are you going with all this, Ruto?" Zelda asked. Was it just me, or did she sound a little prickly since the last time she talked? What was making her snappy? _Oh, the conversation's back to me. Better pay attention._

"Like I was saying, Link's pretty well-liked in the school. So I might be able to narrow down who was working for Ganon." She began ticking points off on her fingers as she made them. "First, it would have to be a junior. Nobody else would have an excuse to be near Shad's office in the 11th grade wing. Second, it would have to be someone with a specific grudge against Link. Since he holds such value among our peers, not just anybody would willingly work against him."

"I don't like the idea of me as a rating object," I admitted, "but you make good reasons. So, who's a fellow junior who particularly doesn't like me?"

Everyone thought for a minute around the table. Ruto was right, Link was fairly well-liked, so not many candidates were left.

"I've got one," Darunia said finally. "When Saria was crushing on you freshman year, that Mido kid got pretty jealous."

"Okay," I acknowledged. "Mido's one."

"Ooh!" Malon said, raising her hand like in a class. "What about Koume and Kotake? The twins?"

"They hate everyone," Nabooru rolled her eyes. "But it's a good guess."

I continued counting. "The twins make three. Or, two, really, because they always work together."

Another minute of contemplative silence passed. Eventually, to everyone's slight surprise, Zelda spoke up. "Ilia."

Stunned silence. Then, heavy nods. "Yes," I said quietly, "her." It was a sensitive subject.

After yet another period of awkward silence, I stood up. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice," I said with mock professionalism, like a lawyer. With more seriousness, I added, "I'll need your help investigating our candidates. If we can find out who did it, not only can we save my grade, but we'll also sever one of Ganon's… employees."

"Of course." Sheik.

"Don't worry about it." Nabooru.

"He's gonna pay." Darunia.

"We'll get him." Ruto.

"We've got your back." Malon.

Then, after everyone else was gone, a hand rested on my shoulder, so lightly I could've imagined it.

"Thank you." Zelda.

 **Omg omg omg. Not only am I having more fun than ever writing this fanfic and taking it in new directions I'd never imagined, the feedback is incredible. This story has hit over 5,000 views, over 60 faves and follows, and a staggering 50 reviews. Thank you all so much, and my only wish is that you continue reading and reviewing. I can't wait to see this fic through to the end and hope you can't either!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I've got no excuse for being late this time, sorry guys. I did work on this story's outline, though, and I think I have the entire plot all the way to the end figured out. Now all that's left is to write it…**

 **To LinkIsBro90121: Thanks so much for your kind words! I think the "last Friday" thing is better kept secret, as for the "Ganon conversation," you'll find out about that sooner or later. ;) I like writing modern Zelink as well and have already begun planning another story after this one (shame on me, I know!) and that will contain major Zelink as well. The characters are mostly from Ocarina of Time but there are some cameos and minor characters from other games. Again, thanks for your time and I hope you keep reading 'til the end!**

 **To darkerthanlight: They certainly would, if they had the ability to. Ganon is stronger than you think.**

 **The next three chapters will use new POVs (excitement!) so that you can get a closer look into what some of the characters think about the current situation. First up is Sheik.**

 **Wednesday – Sheik's POV – Hyrule Academy**

After meeting up outside of school this morning, Link had decided to split us up into pairs. Nabooru and I would investigate Mido, Darunia and Ruto would go after the twins, and Malon and Zelda would tail Ilia.

Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Sheik. I've been friends with this little… gang for quite a while, and have gained a reputation as the serious, quiet one. Nabooru is serious and quiet, too, but in more of a… charming way. I'm just stone-cold. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I was paired with Nabooru today, we share similar stances on people in general.

Striding away from the courtyard, perfectly in step with the dark-skinned girl, I eye her. Her brown hair has a reddish tinge to it, sort of like clay. She has quite a few piercings, most prominently a gold ring on (or in) her nose. She's wearing baggy green pants that only come down to her knees, and a white tank top. Not the most fashionable, but definitely ready to spring into action if action is needed.

Something tells me that won't be necessary, I think, mentally bringing up everything I know about Mido. He's a senior, but still weaker and less mature than Link. Actually, he's kind of like a really obnoxious Link, now that I think about it. And they both share that weird obsession with the color green.

Anyways, the story goes something like this: Way back in Link's freshman year, Mido and this girl Saria were sophomores. Everyone who called themselves a lowerclassman (meaning freshies and sophomores) shipped them. I know, I hate using that word too, but it's applicable. Everybody saw them as this perfect couple, you know, compatible, fitting each other, etcetera etcetera. But secretly, Saria didn't like him that much. No matter how popular he was, she saw him for the annoying whiny little kid that he was.

Unfortunately for us, she decided to start crushing on Link instead. As you can imagine, that brought our little posse quite some grief. Mido was the lord of the tenth grade back then, and it seemed like everyone on that level would made snide comments in the halls, at lunch, and in gym. It escalated to physical violence, too, everything from tripping between the aisles to full-out punches.

Eventually, Link got fed up with it. He told Saria that he just wanted to be friends, and wanted her to know it. In reality, he really did like Saria, but he needed to let her go in order to appease Mido. I suppose that's a good thing, now that he has Zelda.

Ohoho! Don't think I miss all that. Being the quiet one doesn't mean I'm a daydreamer, no sir. I see things that nobody else in the group sees or cares to admit. I see that Nabooru is like me, but slightly more friendly. I see that Darunia has a thing for Ruto, but she won't deign to listen to him for more than a few seconds at a time. I see that Malon seethes in private for stealing Link away from her.

Hey, don't get angry! I tell it like it is. If you want good ol' Sheik's professional opinion, you're gonna get it (I told you I had a fun side). Every single time they blush at each other in the Hot Spring, have a fun time riding in his rust-bucket truck together, or sneak off to have a private getaway at the lake, she notices. It makes her furious. I think I realize now that she's been planning to make a move on Link for quite some time, but never had the guts to do it. I don't think Link would've liked such spontaneous anger in a girlfriend, anyways, so again, I'm glad he found Zelda.

Speaking of which, hoo-wee. Are they happy or what? I mean, seriously, I can't believe people thought Mido and Saria were perfect for each other and they missed _this_. Like I said, they blush every single minute just being close to each other. They sneak off together to have private conversations. And sometimes, they just go quiet and stare into each other's eyes. So cliché, I know, but it's fun to watch manly man Link get his heart melted.

Dragging me out of my private thoughts, Nabooru speaks in that low, warm, almost seductive voice. "There he is."

Realizing she meant Mido, I follow her gaze with my own red one. The kid looked like an elf in so much green, I tell you. "Looks like he's got a following again."

Nabooru raised an eyebrow at me, noticing my unusually friendly mood, but said nothing. That's exactly what I like about her, such an intelligent companion. Mido was standing with his back to a tree on the opposite end of our spot in the courtyard, with a ring of five or six younger students seated in the grass around him. He looked like a preacher of the goddesses, I tell you, gesturing wildly and speaking animatedly to the assembled classmates, who looked on with so much awe he might actually _be_ a preacher. I had to see this for myself.

Employing my classic Sheikah stealth, I signaled Nabooru to stay put and crept closer. For reasons no ordinary human can explain, Mido didn't notice me steadily approaching through the grass, although I should have been plainly visible. Ever wonder how I caught Link and Zelda staring into each other's eyes or Malon's private temper tantrums? It's all part of the quiet one's job: being quiet.

Suddenly, I dropped my stealthy approach and launched out of the grass to put an arm around Mido's shoulders. He was too shocked to continue speaking, so I finished for him. "Sorry, but I need to speak with Mido for a moment."

Seeing my serious expression and firm monotone, the disappointed listeners slowly departed. Mido whirled to face me with outright panic. "Uh, Sheik?! What are you, uh, doing here?!"

I looked on, bemused but indifferent. Another body sidled up next to mine, leaving Mido no place to run. "A little nervous, are we?" Nabooru's formerly warm voice was hardened. "You have good reason to."

Oh! The "good cop, bad cop" routine. I read about this in a book once. I gave Nabooru's side a slight tap, signaling that I had caught on. Nabooru was the bad cop, so that means… "Look, Mido." I extended a hand to his shoulder once again. "We don't mean to intimidate you. We just want some information."

"Yeah, uh, about what? I don't know anything… about… anything!" He sure was jumpy. Maybe he really was the man who helped Ganon.

"Quiet, you!" Nabooru barked. "You know exactly what you did… traitor! You're working with Ganon!" Her finger jutted out accusingly.

Mido tried to leap backwards again, but hit the tree behind him instead. How pitiful. "I promise, I don't know anything!" he cowered. "I haven't even seen Ganon in weeks! He's a junior!"

"A promising argument, Mido," I pretended to reassure him. "But we're going to need more proof than that. If you only help with our investigation…" I trailed, hoping my compatriot would catch on…

"We'd throw you in jail!" Nabooru finished. Thank the goddesses she knew what she was doing. "You've committed a serious crime, young man, and we're here to take you away!"

"No!" Mido started crying, tears leaking from his face. I smiled despite myself underneath my face covering. What a wimp. "I promise, I didn't do anything for him! I don't know anything!"

Nabooru glanced at me inquisitively. "Well?"

I gave the pitiful excuse for a senior one last look. "He's telling the truth. Let's hope the others found our culprit."

With that, we turned and left to go tell Link the news.

 **Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Look at that, I'm atoning for my mistakes by updating another chapter. This little "POV circle" ones are short anyway, so why not release them as soon as I finish. A few of you PMed me asking about the new Zelink story I mentioned in the last chapter, so more information about that will be revealed here soon.**

 **Oh! I almost forgot, I just finished a single-chaptered fic for Shovel Knight. If you've played it before, think about giving that a read.**

 **To FaolanLupa: That's the kind of feeling I'm going for! I hope you keep reading 'til the end!**

 **Thursday – Darunia's POV – Hyrule Academy**

Hey, brother. Looks like I've been assigned to hunt down the twins with Ruto. That's what I was hoping for, actually, because homecoming is next week and I've been meaning to ask her. As popular as she is with her cheerleading friends, she still comes off as annoying and clingy to most guys. I don't see her that way, though, and I only wish she'd realize that I see her like she truly is.

All romance aside, though, brother, I'm glad to help Link regardless of the cause. He's gone all out to helping each one of us in the past, so we're more than glad to repay the favor. Especially after how he pulled through that Friday with Ganon… I'm glad he was there.

Hmm, a little about me, perhaps. I'm Darunia, the biggest guy in school. Not to brag or anything, but it's all muscle, no fat. I play defensive tackle on the football team, and can take down pretty much any player in Hyrule. I try to be this big, friendly, all-smiles guy most of the time, ready to sweep my friends into a massive bear hug and cheer them up no matter what went wrong. But, I have a soft side, and enjoy the arts as well. I'm taking a pottery elective this year, and really like making pots and stuff, even though the last time I gave one of my pots to Link he smashed it. Some stupid legend about there being money inside.

Ruto and I were heading to the cafeteria, where Koume and Kotake usually hang out in the mornings. She was dressed in her cheerleader's jersey and shorts, too, and she looked hotter than molten rock. Maybe that was a bit shallow of me, but damn!

Trying to keep up my casual lumbering pace, I gently broached the subject. "So, Ruts," I used a favorite nickname, "found a date for homecoming yet?"

The moment she turned to look at me, I knew that was too fast. Fortunately, she just brushed it off as my usual blunt way of approaching things and suspected nothing. "No," she sighed, "not yet. You'd think the way it's shown in movies that being a cheerleader would get you loads of guys."

"Yeah." I didn't know how to respond to that. Actually, I didn't know how to respond to anything! I wasn't even expecting to make it this far! "Well, I'm sure you'll find someone."

An awkward silence followed us through the halls. Eventually, I tried to break the ice once again. "So, what are we gonna say to the twins?"

"Hmm, I've been thinking about that. What's something they do that we could use against them?"

Wow, so she's a master strategist now too. _Hot_. As you can tell, it's pretty easy to impress me. "Well," I tap my chin thoughtfully, "They're pretty self-absorbed. They always seem to think that they're more talented than everyone else."

Ruto rolled her eyes. "That's everyone on the cheerleading team, I guarantee. But really, it's a good start."

I put on a big, toothy grin. Big ol' Darunia can be smart sometimes, too.

"Maybe…" she stops walking, presumably getting an idea. "We could question their abilities somehow." Her face lights up in astonishment. "No way. That's too easy."

"What? What?" I ask, interested to see what she's come up with.

She looks at me in the eyes. Woah. "We could just ask them if they thought they could steal a test out of Mr. Shad's class."

I looked back, stunned but impressed. "It would work. People are daring them to do crazy stuff all the time."

"Right, then we could just judge by their reaction if they've already done it!" She did a little leap of glee. "This'll work perfectly!"

I put out a hand to steady her as we started walking again. "Hold on there, it might not. Like you said, it's almost too easy. The twins can be tricky sometimes."

I hated that I was the one to make her frown. I wanted to keep her smiling forever. But, anyway, she was frowning as she said, "Of course. We should plan for if they take it smoothly."

We both were silent for a while longer, but less awkward and more thoughtful this time. By the time we neared the cafeteria doors, we had come up with nothing.

"Unfortunately," I said slowly, "there's no time for us to think. First period is about to start, and we need to just go in and wing it."

She gave me a dubious look, and I winked back. Confidence is key, and it's something I tend to have a lot of. Not cockiness like Link (no offense), but genuine belief in my abilities. It's a personal strength. With a different kind of personal strength, I threw open the cafeteria doors.

Rows upon rows of plastic tables spanned a massive area. The noise was deafening, hundreds and hundreds of students all chattering at max volume at once. It was like the cheering at a football game, but worse. My ears were being assaulted.

Once we had both cleared our heads enough to start walking again, we headed to the farthest corner of the room, a shady corner shrouded in shadow so that you couldn't clearly see people's faces even if you were right next to them. Fortunately, the twins were easy to spot.

"Eheh, look who it is!" One of them cackled.

"If it isn't the guzzling football star himself!" The other crowed.

 _Guzzling_? What a strange term to describe me as. While my slow brain pondered this, Ruto spoke up. "Listen, Koume-"

"I'm Koume!" the other interrupted. "That's Kotake! The lesser twin!"

"What?!" she shrieked. "If anyone's lesser, it's you!"

"Listen, please!" Ruto held up a hand and surprisingly managed to silence them. "We've got a job for you."

"We're listening," the twins said in unison.

"We want you to sneak into Mr. Shad's office and steal some of the tests before he's graded them."

The twins looked at each other from under their dirty gray hoodies for a long moment. Finally, as if on cue, they both turned back toward us and said, "Okay."

Ruto and I stood there blinking. "Uh," I stammered, "what?"

Kotake (or Koume) blinked. "You dared us to do it, right? So we'll do it. Come back in a week." Abruptly, they both turned back to the other students around them and began their excited chatter.

I shot Ruto a glance. "Well, I suppose that settles it."

"Yeah, they didn't seem phased at all." She scratched her chin. Oh, wow, her fingers were so pretty! Perfectly manicured and… Oh! That reminds me!

As we strode out of the cafeteria, I prodded mentally once again. "So, homecoming's coming up."

"Why do you mention that?" She wasn't snappy, just intrigued.

"I saw them setting up for it back in the cafeteria."

"Oh."

As we neared the doors to the courtyard, Ruto began to pull ahead by walking slightly faster, preparing to jog to her first class. "I'll tell Link on the way. I don't think they're who we're looking for."

I nodded glumly, still berating myself about my cowardice. "So…" she trailed, "goodbye?"

She began to push the door open when I reached out an arm and cried, "Ruto, wait!"

She turned with a raised eyebrow and an exasperated face. "Spit it out."

I turned my cheeky face to the ground. "I… well… see…" I took a deep breath. It was now or never. "I wanted to ask if you would go to the lowerclassman dance with me."

The last words had kind of tumbled out of my mouth. Oh, goddesses, I must have looked like a bumbling oaf. The big, mangy, clumsy football jock wanted to go out with a cheerleader who was twice, no, ten times out of his league…

"Of course!"

What.

She put a hand on my cheek and I risked a glance up to see her softly smiling face. "I'd love to go to the dance with you. I was waiting to see if I'd have to ask you myself before it was too late!" She laughed giddily. "You're cool, Darunia."

What.

I could only hope that someday soon Link and Zelda would share the smile that broke onto my face as I hugged Ruto tightly and never wanted to let go.

 **Aw! How sweet. Too bad that's about all the focus on them you're going to get in this story. On another end note, in both POVs so far have been references to Link and Zelda's budding feelings toward each other. I wonder why everyone but them can see what's going on… See you later, and be sure to review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello hello hello! I just finished outlining a good chunk of my next Zelink story, but as excited as I am, I'll try not to talk about it too much. It's heavily inspired by my favorite Zelda fic of all time: "The King's Bride" by tiger7210, in which Link is granted the Triforce of Power instead of courage (which my story will have also). For more information, wait until I give up and rant about it or PM me. :)**

 **To FaolanLupa: Am I supposed to reply to that? xD Well, either way I'm glad you're satisfied.**

 **To LinkIsBro90121: Thanks for your interest in the story! This next POV is an interesting one for sure…**

 **To Amelia F: Same, and glad you like the story!**

 **Friday – Malon's POV – Hyrule Academy**

Hey. Wow. Depression strikes once again.

You're going to have to excuse the doom-and-gloom attitude, because I'm feeling really down in the dumps for a variety of reasons right now. Fine, I'll tell you about them, but you've gotta promise not to tell Link or Zelda.

I'm trying to sound as emotionless as possible when telling you this because it's how I sound right now. It's hard to act the cheery, sweet farm girl when everything life's thrown at you has gone wrong. I mean, it's not like my parents are dead, like Link, but _geez_.

I'll bet you're wondering what's wrong, and I'd tell you, but Ms. Princess McGolden Hair over here will positively not shut up.

That's right. I hate Zelda.

You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at us. I mean, we're in this really close-knit group of friends together, who always stick by each other no matter what or something cheesy like that.

No. That's not how it is at all.

Hold on, let me start at the beginning. This is quickly turning into a depression-driven rant, so I'll tone it down a notch. Since about two weeks ago, everything was perfect. School had just started, my friends and I were hanging out, having a good time, fending off Ganon and his pranks, and the like.

Then Golden Haired Beautiful Fairy Princess Woman Sent from the Goddesses came.

I mean, seriously. Who is that perfect? She's everything I'm not! I thought my country charm and kindness would get me a long way, but Zelda's got it made. Even my manipulative and cunning self has to acknowledge a worthy adversary for Link's heart.

Oops. I'll get to that later. Anyway, Zelda comes in, all "I'm super smart and I get straight A's" and she basically has a breakdown over getting a B on anything. She's super self-absorbed, only caring about her own needs and family before her friends, and she's super jealous of anyone. For anything. I mean, when Link told her the story about Ilia, she acted like she had some kind of personal hatred for the girl. For someone who acts as high and mighty as Zelda does, I'm kind of surprised she stooped low enough to the "common folk" to even deign to care about Link's past.

Oops again. I did promise this wouldn't be a rant, right? Speaking of Ilia, Zelda and I were headed over to the library where she usually was before school. Don't ask me how Zelda and I got paired up, but it's only the latest edition of a long string of bad things in my life.

I tried not to grimace whenever I looked at her. I mean, even her strides are pompous. I can't believe Link sees anything in her. He's so sincere and caring and funny and Zelda's just this… princess. Our private pet name for her fits better than you'd think.

She turned her head towards mine, which was pointing at the ground to avoid eye contact. "So," she started, pretending to care about talking to me, "what are we gonna say to Ilia?"

"I don't know," I said, trying my absolute hardest not to snap at her. "Why don't you just march in there and give her a piece of your mind?"

"Our mind," she corrected softly. What a cheeseball! "Malon, is something wrong?"

Only the fact that you waltzed in here two weeks ago, made a bunch of friends, totally screwed up my moves toward Link… "No, I'm okay. Just nervous."

"Don't be."

I finally looked up. Boy, she was good, it was almost like real compassion in her eyes. She even bit her lip for effect. I feel like I should be taking notes or something.

Zelda sighed and turned back to the hallway in front of us, her gaze hardening. "You're always so nice to everybody. Someone like Ilia doesn't deserve your kindness."

Ohoho! Does she now? And why would you have any say in that, Your Highness McPale Face? "Thank you."

I pondered in the silence. So, let me pick up where I left off. Zelda came in, and Link completely fell for her "hotness," which I can't seem to find anywhere. All the carefully planned moves I had made on him for _years_ fell apart in a matter of days. When I comforted him after his breakup with Ilia. When he'd broken his leg after falling down a hill and I stayed by his hospital bed. When I'd helped him fix his truck in the pouring summer rain. All of that, everything, was forgotten.

Zelda hadn't been there for Link the past few years of his life, so why, goddesses, _why_ did he forget me? It was only last Thursday when I was clouded by jealousy, and approached by Ganon himself.

 _I ran frantically through the halls, not knowing or caring where I ended up. Tears streaked down my cheeks and blew away, deserting me just as fast as Link had._

 _"_ _Malon."_

 _I whirled around, shocked out of my stupor of self-pity. My face quickly contorted in anger as I realized who it was. "Listen, Ganon," I spat, "I really don't have the time or patience to deal with you right now."_

 _"_ _You know, you're the only one with enough courage to stand up to me like that."_

 _I held up a finger in warning. "I'm serious, Hothead, it's not the time."_

 _But Ganon would not back down. Usually, he'd take a hint and leave it, but now… maybe he really did have something to say. "Listen, I'm going to cut right to the chase. I know what happened between you and Link."_

 _I didn't even bother asking how he knew. "The classic love triangle, am I right?" I laughed humorlessly at my own misery._

 _"_ _Yes. It is. And I've seen it too many times to let it happen again."_

 _I looked up, confused. "What?"_

 _His golden eyes blazed with determination so fierce a pinch of fear crept into me. "I'm going to make sure you get what you deserve, after waiting so long. I've seen too many cases like yours, where a wonder girl like Zelda sweeps in and undoes all your hard work."_

 _I scowled. "You can say that again. But, how are_ you _going to help? No offense."_

 _He grinned, his smile devoid of cheerfulness just like my laugh. "Just leave it to me, Malon. The only thing you have to do is sit back and watch. Don't mention this conversation, and within a week Link will come crawling back to you."_

 _I stared. It was too good to be true, there had to be a catch. "What's in it for you?"_

 _He toyed with his hands, judging whether I was trustworthy with that horrible gaze. "Let's just say I stand to gain from having you two together."_

 _I dismissed it as a simple bet between friends. Ganon was the gambling type, after all. So, without a single ounce of regret or fear, I made a deal with the devil._

We had marched into the library as soon as I finished my reverie. Ganon had promised me Link within a week, and I didn't see him yet… I'd give it until the end of the day today, then I'd find him, Frogface, and that witch girl whose name I can never remember.

Zelda spotted Ilia first, sitting in a chair behind a shelf of books to our left. She was reading some kind of romance novel, it looked like. How fitting. The princess made a pointing motion with her hand. I nodded, and we burst into the space with as much authority as we could muster. Unfortunately, for two short girls, that wasn't much.

Ilia glanced up from her book, her expression bored and completely unintimidated by our entrance. "What do you want?" Then, her face changed. I could barely see it, in the dark light where we were standing between the bookshelves, but it was there alright.

She whirled around towards the completely black end of the library, near the wall where the dim lights never touched, and whispered, "Now!"

Without warning, two kids clad completely in black, like ninjas, jumped out and grabbed Zelda. The first yanked her body into the dark corner of the library, while the second covered her mouth and nose with a strange-smelling cloth. In seconds, Zelda had slumped in their arms.

I clenched up, terrified, but relaxed a little once I realized that I wasn't being kidnapped too. A third face emerged from the shadows, one I recognized immediately.

Ganon spoke first. "Thanks for your help, Ilia." He intoned, and slipped a glinting red rupee into her hand. She stood up and left without another word, pocketing the money.

Then, he turned to me. "Malon," he said, as if greeting an old friend. "I know you have a lot of questions, but class starts soon, and we need to get Zelda out of the school. So please, shut up and listen."

Mystified, I nodded. He continued as the two kids dressed as ninjas dragged Zelda's unconscious body to a door leading outside. Too busy with Ganon to be concerned, I let him continue.

"So, here's what you're going to do," he instructed, counting off on his fingers has he spoke. "You're going to go back to your gang of friends, and tell them the story of what happened."

"You want me to tell-"

"Nah ah ah." He put up a hand. "No talking, remember?"

I shot him a glare but said nothing.

"Good. Now, you're going to tell them this. You found Ilia like you were planning to, and asked her about the test. Suddenly, she looked like she recognized Zelda. Ilia pointed to Zelda and said something along the lines of, 'It's her! She did it!' Knowing she'd been caught, Zelda ran through the door outside and never came back."

I raised an eyebrow, grudgingly impressed. I should've expected that Ganon was behind Link's test, but if it got me his attention back, so be it.

"This story will not only separate Zelda from the rest of your group," he grinned, "It will also make Link hate her for sabotaging his test. Ilia already knows the story and will testify if necessary. Once you and her and I tell the same story, and Zelda's inexplicably absent from class today…"

"She won't be able to convince us that it wasn't her. The evidence is too overwhelming."

He smiled, not even noticing that I'd interrupted like he said not to. "Exactly. I told you I'd get Link back to you."

I turned to walk away, silently rehearsing the story back to myself. Suddenly, a thought struck me. "Hey, Ganon," I said, turning, "what did you mean when you said you'd gain a lot by having me and Link together?"

But the devil had vanished once again.

 **Please excuse the horrible writing in the first part of this chapter, before the flashback. I was very sleep deprived when writing that part, but the end was composed while well-rested. I hope you enjoy this new development in the story, and if you do (or don't), please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Oh my goddesses, guys. Seriously. Your reviews are so amazing and I cannot thank you enough for your feedback on the last chapter. I laughed out loud at some of your reactions to Malon, so here are my heartfelt replies…**

 **To Aubreylovesthegames and LinkIsBro90121: It is a Zelink fic, isn't it? Have some faith, they're destined to be together after all :)**

 **To Walker's Annoying Voice: First of all, thank you for being a loyal returning reader since the beginning. Second, maybe Malon will step up and do the right thing in the end, who knows. Right now, though, she can't see past her love for Link to do anything… Lastly, I suppose he does, but with my deep-seated hatred for ZeldaxGanondorf I can't think about it for too long :P**

 **To darkerthanlight: Who knows, maybe she'll step up and do the right thing after all.**

 **To Turtleman: Thanks! I hope you keep reading until the end!**

 **To PewDiePie: Okay xD Thank you**

 **Friday – Link's POV – Hyrule Academy**

"Where's Zelda and Malon?" I wondered aloud to Darunia, who was sitting next to me on the floor outside Mr. Shad's classroom.

"Yeah," he grumbled, "they should be back soon. If they take another minute, I'm going inside."

I silently stared down the hallway, wishing for one of them to appear, until… "Malon!"

Darunia jumped up. "Finally!"

I was smiling until I noticed the distress on her freckled face. "Woah, what's wrong?"

She looked down at her shoes, sniffling. "Zelda…"

I stiffened. "What about Zelda?"

Malon slowly gazed up into my eyes, hers filled with tears. "She…"

"Well?" Darunia nudged. "Spit it out!"

"It was her." Her gaze hardened, and she straightened up a little bit.

"What was her?" I was confused out of my mind.

"With the test," Malon confirmed. "She sabotaged your grade."

"What?!"

"I don't believe this," Darunia agreed. "Where is she? We need to talk to her."

"Guys, listen," she pleaded, "I'm telling the truth. Here's what happened: we walked into the library, and Ilia was sitting there, just like we thought. We walked up to her and were about to ask her about Friday, when her face got all weird. Then, she pointed at Zelda and said, 'you.'"

"Oh, so we're trusting Ilia over Zelda now?" I needed more evidence. Where was she, anyway?

Malon flinched. "I'm serious. Then Zelda just looked at both of us and said, 'I don't know what you're talking about.' Then Ilia said, 'I know it was you. I have proof.' Then Zelda just looked really scared and bolted."

Darunia looked bewildered. "She just… left?"

"Yeah, right out the library doors."

"I don't believe it." I echoed Darunia in a soft voice. "I can't… I mean… She…"

"Link," Malon comforted, and I almost pulled away from the gentle hand she placed on my shoulder. "I know this might be hard to take in, but-"

"Hard to take in?!" I jerked away. "There's no way she would betray us like that! We're loyal to each other!"

Something in Malon's eyes flashed, but quickly disappeared. "That's why I'm telling you, Link, it's as hard for me to face as you."

"We need to talk to Ilia," I managed to get out. "How could she have known?"

"It also might be a great idea to talk to Ganon, also." Darunia put in. "We thought it was him originally, right? Maybe he's behind this somehow."

Malon sighed. "More interrogating people." Then, she turned, and gave me a look I couldn't quite figure out, although I vaguely remembered Zelda giving me the same one under the waterfall last weekend and at her house on Sunday. "Though, I have to admit, I'm glad we finally got to the bottom of this."

I wasn't so sure about that yet. Before I could question her, however, the bell screeched and we all hurried inside Mr. Shad's room without Zelda.

 **Friday – Zelda's POV – Unknown Location**

 _Ugh, my head._

I sat up groggily, trying to move my legs, before realizing that I couldn't. A single harsh light from above illuminated thick rope tying my hands and feet together. It also revealed the cold concrete floor below me, but the walls were still dark and distant.

 _Where am I?_

Shuffling on my knees, I went over to the nearest wall. Judging by the height of the lamp, this building was about two stories high. Varied shapes leaned against the metal walls indicated it was used for storage of some kind.

Desperate for more information, I picked up a pebble I had found on the floor. Cocking back my arm and closing one eye, I hit the lamp with a solid _thwack_! It swung creakily toward the wall, revealing a faded paint logo.

 _Gerudo Self Storage_. Great. So I was in a dark warehouse, tied up, with nothing to contact the world outside with. _Or maybe I do._ Patting my pants as frantically as I could with bound wrists, I felt around for my cell phone. Nothing. _Rats_.

Just then, morning sunlight flooded in as a large door swung open. I covered my eyes with my arms to shield the blinding light, but when I put them down, they had closed again. So much for escaping.

Slowly, it dawned on me that someone else had entered the warehouse. I spun around, searching in the darkness for a body I knew I wouldn't be able to see. Footsteps echoed around the walls from every direction, so it was impossible to know where the person was.

Finally, a dark hoodie and pair of sweatpants walked into the light.

I gasped. "Zant?!"

"Zelda." He gave me a twisted grin. "Taking the day off, are we?"

Suddenly, it all flooded back to me. Finding Ilia in the library, Malon acting weird, then the ninjas… _I've been kidnapped!_

"Did you… kidnap me?!" I accused.

"Yup," he said with no remorse, only mild amusement. "Me and Cia, we were the ninjas."

I rolled my eyes. "Very creative."

"Thank you, it was my idea." I jumped at another female voice that had just rung out. _Cia! She's in here too?!_ "We just want to have a little chat with you, maybe ask a few questions."

Zant nodded and spoke next. "What's on your hand?"

I blinked. "What?"

"On your hand, Zelda dear," he cooed sarcastically. "What's there?"

Looking down at my tied hands, I noticed what he was talking about. The tattoo.

"Uh, nothing?" Gosh, I was a terrible liar.

Without warning, Cia rushed out of the shadows and leaned inches away from my face, her raven hair quite imposing, considering she stood almost a foot taller than me. "Don't lie, just tell us what you know."

Scared out of my mind, I decided it was wisest not to make them angry. If they'd kidnapped me in a public school, who knew what they'd do to me in this secluded building. "I know it appeared last Saturday," I said truthfully. I also purposefully did not mention Link, I couldn't have him dragged into this because of me. "It's a tattoo, but I never got one and it won't come off. It also looks kinda like…"

"Kinda like what?" Cia snapped, having backed off a bit.

"Like the Triforce." I finished. They stared at me. "I know it sounds stupid," I quickly added, "but-"

"Quiet." Zant hissed. "Cia, did you hear that?"

The taller girl shook her head. "No, what-"

Then the doors burst open once again, and you'll never guess who came running through.

 **Cliffhanger? Cliffhanger. Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey, hey, hey! Guess who felt encouraged by all the reviews and decided to post another chapter! :D So much for the last chapter's cliffhanger, though. Whatever. I didn't have the heart to make you all wait anyway. Also, there's a lot of reviews today. A lot.**

 **To cake: Thanks! I hope you continue reading!**

 **To Aubreylovesthegames: Thank you for letting me live. I would not be very happy if I died before finishing this and my upcoming Zelda fics, at least.**

 **To FaolanLupa: I get a twisted sort of pleasure from cliffhangers. :)**

 **To LinkIsBro90121: Sorry to disappoint… it's not Link. But DON'T WORRY, he will definitely have some heroic moments soon.**

 **To darkerthanlight: What.**

 **To lottyyh: I would never! My fics are like children to me, expect less noisy.**

 **To Amelia F: Oh no! I sure created a lot of reader hatred for Malon, didn't I?**

 **Friday – Zelda's POV – Gerudo Storage Warehouse**

Cia and Zant spun around to face the door. There, silouhetted in the blazing sunlight, was a man.

I was the first to slip out of my shock. " _Sheik?!_ " Some small part of me was expecting someone else, but…

My outcry had alerted my two kidnappers again. "Well, get him!" They both lunged for Sheik, who nimbly leaped out of the way a solid six feet in the air. He sailed over both of their heads, landing without a sound next to me, and sliced off my ropes with a concealed knife hidden in his sleeve.

Zant and Cia were coming for him again. They had split up, each going on one side. Sheik couldn't escape now, there was no way…

Suddenly, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me off the group as if I was a sack of flour. My cry of "Hey!" barely escaped my lips before he had thrown some kind of seed on the ground and smoke filled my lungs. When it cleared, I was standing next to him in a location I recognized immediately.

Shuffling awkwardly, still slightly in shock, I asked, "Uh, Sheik? Why are we at the diner?" Then I thought for a bit longer. "And why do you have mega-jump superpowers? And a hidden knife in your sleeve?"

"Keep your voice down and come inside," he commanded. When I gave him a dubious look, he said, "I'll explain once we're sitting down. You trust me, right?"

As we strode through the glass doors, I couldn't help but think this was the most words he'd ever said to me in one sitting. And I got the feeling he was about to say a whole lot more.

 **Friday – Link's POV – Hyrule Academy**

The final bell had rung just a few minutes ago, and Darunia, Malon, and I were off to confront two certain people about the disappearance of a certain other person. Surprisingly, we found the two of them together.

Ganon was leaning against the brick outer wall of the school while Ilia talked to him animatedly about something. He looked bored, and she looked agitated. Darunia cleared his throat, and she spun around, while he just gave us a bored glance.

"Don't sneak up on people like that!" She scolded, obviously flustered.

"What do you losers want?" Ganon pitched in helpfully.

Darunia folded his arms menacingly. "We're here about Zelda. We know you have something to do with it."

Ilia's face softened. "Oh, that."

"Yes, that!" I snapped. "What do you have to say about it?!"

Malon's hand rested on my back gently. After a moment, I gingerly relaxed under her touch. I saw her smile flash out of the corner of my eye and became much calmer.

"I'm sure Malon's already told you," Ilia said, gesturing behind me. "But I know Zelda sabotaged your test. When I saw her and recognized her, she bolted."

"But how did you see her?"

Ganon pushed off the wall and spoke. "That would be me that saw her, actually. My friends and I were headed to Shad's room that night to fix my own test grade."

Darunia smirked. "Goddesses know why you'd need to do that."

Ganon shot him a glare and continued. "When we were at the end of the hallway, Ilia and I, that is, we saw a girl come out of the room. Curious, we followed her and when she walked past a light..."

"Hold on," I held up a hand, "Ilia was with _you_?"

Ilia's scowl returned. "Yeah, why do you care who I hang out with?"

"No reason." I didn't want to imply that I actually did care, I was just suspicious.

"Anyway," Ganon continued, "I hate to be helping you, Greenie, but even I've gotta tell the truth."

"Likely," Darunia snorted again.

"Are you just here to crack jokes, Rock Man?" Ganon snapped. "Because if so, you'd probably like to leave before I stop being amused."

"You don't scare me, Hothead."

I realized this was going nowhere. "C'mon, Darunia, we got what we needed to know. No need for a staredown."

He nodded, reluctantly taking his eyes off Ganon. I led the trio away, thinking about what I'd heard. Malon alone wasn't enough for me to believe it, but two other people saw her too?

She must have noticed my discomfort, because she reached for my hand and lightly wrapped her fingers around mine. I barely noticed, lost in thought, but somewhere in the back of my mind registered alarm bells. _I'm supposed to be crushing on Zelda_ , my disobedient brain thought, _but Malon is using up your feelings instead!_

 _Maybe that's because Zelda betrayed us all,_ I thought ruefully, and then, I knew that I believed the witnesses. With a final breath of disappointment, my brain filed Zelda's name away as an enemy.

 **Friday – Zelda's POV – The Diner**

Sheik and I slid into our usual corner booth, which felt strange with only two people. Not wasting any time, he spoke first, his mouth covering moving slightly as he talked. "Tell me what you know so far. Tell me everything."

So I did. I told him about how I was just a normal girl until that weekend under the waterfall, where Link and I had discovered the strange tattoos. I told him about our research on Sunday, reluctantly adding the part about our little… staring contest of sorts. _The guy has superpowers, you might as well tell him everything._ I told him about Malon and I meeting Ilia and the cloth slipping over my nose, and then being carried away by Cia and Zant before waking up in a Gerudo Storage unit.

He stared, unblinking and attentive, even after I finished talking. "So," he said finally, "you really don't know why that mark is there."

I shook my head. "The only real lead was some legend involving the Hero of Time."

Sheik stared at me for another long moment. Just before I was about to break the silence, he whispered so softly I had to lean closer, "What if I told you the Hero was real?"

I blinked once, then again. "What? You mean the Hero of Time?"

"Yes. And the Princess of Destiny. And the six Sages. And everything else."

"Well," I said slowly, "I would probably call you crazy and demand further explanation."

I could tell by his eyes that he was grimacing. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to give much of one. But," he added, looking slowly toward the ceiling as if something was written there, "your mother might."

 **Will Link and Zelda ever repair their broken friendship? What's with Sheik's mysterious superpowers? Will Malon ever reveal the truth? Find out next time on Hyrule Academy!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Welcome back, dear readers! I'm excited to announce that not one, but my next two Zelda stories are coming along nicely. I expect you'll be seeing the first chapters up shortly. I've been receiving several PMs asking about it so I hope you all enjoy it. Also, there's a warning at the bottom of this note. Read it.**

 **To TheFanGirl5: Yes, I hope so too. She's one of my favorite characters, regardless of…*ahem * certain flaws.**

 **To FaolanLupa: Gosh diddly darn indeed. I'm just a slave driver, aren't I.**

 **To Aubreylovesthegames: Good to see some enthusiasm about my plot! Heh heh hopefully Link will come to his senses soon.**

 **To darkerthanlight: Yes, I think Sheik was due for a redesign.**

 **To LinkIsBro90121: Oh no, he's fallen into Malon's trap quite nicely, hasn't he?**

 **To Guesty: What.**

 **To Amelia F: He sees no reason for Ganon to lie about it, even though he has a history of hatred with both him and Ilia. Three voices are better than none.**

 **To TheFanGirl5: Woah there! Predictions much?**

 **To cake: Good advice! Some writers tire themselves out needlessly.**

 **WARNING! The next few chapters will contain slight Malink (MalonxLink) as she comforts him of Zelda's betrayal. They won't do anything, not even kiss, but for those of you that get triggered by non-Zelink scenes… just don't hate. It's a necessary story element.**

 **Friday – Zelda's POV – Ordon Avenue**

I was still blubbering when the smoke cleared once again and we were standing in front of my house. "My… my mother? Sheik, what's going on?!"

His large red orbs flicked in my direction as he pulled me onto my own front porch. "All will be explained soon enough."

Without knocking, he burst through the door to my house. My mom was standing at the counter, her ear pressed to the phone. A look of confusion passed over her face, then surprise, then… fear?

"I'll call you back." She slammed the phone and quickly marched over to us, shutting the door. "Get inside."

"Mom?" I asked, desperate for an explanation. Of course, I was ignored by both of my companions.

"Ms. Impa," Sheik said in a tone remarkably familiar for someone who'd never met my mom before, "he knows."

Mom was frozen, staring at the both of us. A strand of white hair drifted in front of her face, happy not to be pushed away for once. After a moment, she nodded slowly. "Does she?"

"No."

"Guys," I was getting exasperated, " _what_ is happening?! I woke up this morning to go talk to Ilia. Malon was acting weird until we got there and these ninjas showed up! Then I was in a warehouse and the ninjas were actually Cia and Zant! Then Sheik came in and jumped like a mile into the air and…"

Impa held up a hand. "Stop. Take a breath, Zelda."

I did, my eyes still frantically darting around in search of answers. I'm a directional person. I like to be in control of my life, schedule and plan everything out ahead of time, and consider ever possible contingency. So when a surreal, hectic morning like this pops out of the blue, I get a little… frazzled.

"Let me start at the beginning." My mother always knew how to calm me down. She guided Sheik and I to the brightly colored couch and began to tell a story out of the history books. "You are familiar with the legend of the Hero of Time, correct?"

I nodded. "Yeah, we had a test on that just last week."

Impa gave me a sidelong glance. "Well, they're true."

I sat for a minute. "Well, of course they're true. They just happened a long time ago-"

"No," she said firmly, "I mean, they're _still_ true."

"Uh, what?"

"You see," Sheik cut in, "the Hero never stopped reincarnating. He just only appeared whenever Hyrule was in great danger. There just hasn't been any evil beings since a few hundred years ago."

Impa nodded. "Until now, of course."

"Uh, what?" I was starting to sound like a broken record.

She continued. "Your friend, Link, is the Hero of Time." Before I could interrupt, she barged on. "Don't think I haven't noticed the Triforce on both of your hands. And you forgot to clear your search history on the laptop."

I was too bewildered to consider that. "So it really was the Triforce. That means…"

A few uncomfortable glances were exchanged. Finally, Sheik confirmed it. "Yes, you are the Princess of Destiny. The Sage of Time reborn into the modern age."

I desperately peered at my mom, looking for any sign that this was all some insane conspiracy, but she bore the same expression as my red-eyed friend: dashes of sorrow and compassion, but mainly a big pool of urgency, as if something important needed to be done.

Deciding not to press it, I continued with my interrogation. "And this great evil…?"

"Ganon."

That was it. I collapsed back onto the couch, not caring if it cricked my neck. With a voluminous sigh, I promptly fainted.

 **Friday – Link's POV – Hyrule Academy**

Lunchtime. We were in the cafeteria. Everything was going by in a blur. The people, the setting, all of it.

My emotions were on fire. First, my inexplicably failed test. Then, the ruined weekend. Then, the only good part about the weekend, which was spending time with Zelda. Finally, realizing that it had all been an act to ruin me.

How stupid I was. I had fallen for her like an apple off a tree. She'd blown in from Castle Town, played the new-girl-next-door part perfectly to win my affection. With the mysterious Triforce-like symbols, I was surprised now how easily she'd played it off.

Godesses, I felt so stupid. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone. Except Malon, of course. There was nothing romantic going on between us, as I hoped there wouldn't be. I valued her friendship, and with my disastrous romantic record (of Ilia and now Zelda, if you could call it a romance) I didn't want to add her to that list too.

Regardless, she was a steady rock in these trying times, to sound philosophical. She just sat there next to me, the first time I'd sat away from our friends since freshman year. Malon had followed me to my empty corner table of self-isolation and despair.

Honestly, the Zelda thing wasn't that big of a deal. It's just that… that I had really been falling for her these past weeks. I might've even asked her to homecoming. A shame. As you can probably tell by now, though, I'm a hopeless romantic. This emotional drama stuff really gets me. Especially when it _involves_ me.

Anyway, returning to the topic at hand, I was glad Malon had followed me. I didn't suspect she was trying anything romantic right now, it was probably just my feelings careening around inside my body that was too small to house them. So I ate my lunch in silence, and enjoyed her silent company.

 **Friday – Malon's POV – Hyrule Academy**

Hey, he didn't push me away. That's a start. This is honestly going better than I expected. Sure, Link's in a bit of emotional turmoil, but it's nothing I can't handle. My sole purpose right now is to make sure to comfort him and help him forget about whatever he felt for Zelda.

Sitting at the lunch table next to him in companionable silence, I watch him. I've always felt a deep connection to him, maybe not as much as Aryll, but more than the other friends nonetheless. I could read the small changes in his faces, the way he spoke differently when he was thinking about something.

I only hope that when this is all over he'll forgive me for what I did. Like I said, my sole purpose is to be there for him, whether he wants me to be or not. Although, admittedly, this is a lot more enjoyable for me to have him all to myself.

At this, I feel a strange sensation. Something inside the glowing happiness of my stomach begins crawling around, its sickly bluish glow permeating my previously unchangeable joy. Is that… could it be… guilt?

 _No,_ I decide as I push it away. The pure joy returns. _I wouldn't do this unless I was one hundred percent certain._ A small grin spreads across my lips, and I turn away so Link won't question it. Not that he would in his currently unstable state anyways.

 _I'm one hundred percent certain that I want Link to feel what I feel. I want him to realize that Zelda's been playing him,_ stealing _him from me this whole time._

 _Then why do I feel like I've done a deal with a demon?_

 **I PROMISE that Link and Zelda WILL get back together. This is a Zelink story, after all. So don't leave just because of Malon's scheming! It will all work out in the end! Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey, readers. This chapter's different than most in that I'm revealing a lot of information about the plot, most of which you are NOT meant to understand right now. I'm simply setting up for later events, so stick around.**

 **To FaolanLupa: Wow you're always the first and fastest reviewer! I hope Malon is watching behind her back :I**

 **To Amelia F: Yes, maybe so. Or maybe she realizes that Ganon is evil!**

 **To lottyyh: Thank you for the feedback! Also "chappies" :)**

 **To Walker's Annoying Voice: Glad you're still here! Hopefully Zellie will gather the courage to tell everyone, but it looks like that won't be anytime soon…**

 **To Guesty: Nice, thanks! I know how triggered some people can get over ships :I**

 **To Aubreylovesthegames: You sure are a violent one, eh?**

 **To darkerthanlight: Woah there, give the characters some credit. Maybe they'll figure it out by the end.**

 **To LinkIsBro90121: Not to brag, but I've read a good amount of fics on this site. That being said, Ordinary Story is not one of my favorites. I do like other Lyxie stories like One Hundred Days but honestly, I never intended for this to be like Ordinary Story at all. Also, Ordinary Story is on hiatus :(**

 **Unknown**

The darkness swirled around him. Unending black swashed in a great sea of nothingness. The void stretched on without boundary, without restraint.

Ganon was a dark being. He was a creature incarnated out of pure hatred, raw malice, nothing but a wish to end the life of another. And yet…

He didn't belong here. This darkness was… older somehow. More ancient, more knowledgable. The same hatred that he embodied was here, but archaic, as if written in a language long forgotten by the sands of time.

The darkness swirled, slowly forming into a tangible being. The faint outline of a man appeared, then solidified to reveal not a man at all. He was grotesque. A tall imposing creature crossed with ugly scars and a mane of molten fire. His skin was like tar, dark rock that oozed across his face, where a penetrating glare was permanently fixed.

Ganon bowed. The great Demon Thief, King of Darkness, bowed to no one but himself. And yet somehow, this _was_ himself. Perhaps speech would reveal more.

"My lord," Ganon intoned, his voice radiating dark reverence across the void. "I have come."

The taller creature did not speak, simply inspected the crouching figure before him. He paced slowly side to side, his mantle blowing in a nonexistent wind. All was silent save for his echoing footsteps and the distant screams emanating from shadows on the far edges of the horizon.

This was a dark place.

Finally, the tall person spoke. His voice did not come from his scarred lips, but from all around, as if the roiling shadows themselves produced his rumbling speech. "So you are the next."

Ganon rose slowly from his bow, eyes still fixated on the ground. The other had not asked a question, but simply stated a fact.

He spoke again. "You bear the same skin, the same hair. But your garb is different."

"Yes, my lord Demise," Ganon explained, "the garments of Hylians have changed much since your time."

"I see." Demise turned away, his pluming cloak of darkness whispering behind him. Gazing out over the endless fields, he began to talk once again. "Surely you have discovered by now that your hatred of the Hero is not the first."

Ganon nodded confirmation, knowing Demise could sense it without seeing, and allowed him to continue. "You are the latest incarnation of my ancient curse. You are the most recent of my line, the unbroken line of thieves, kings, and oftentimes both."

Something groaned in the black sky far above Ganon's head, but he did not dare look up. His master was speaking. "This time, however, the line will change."

Demise turned once again, piercing Ganon with his soulless golden eyes, matching in color to his own but glowing brighter than the noonday sun with a raging fire that had been burning for thousands of years. "I have seen the plan you devised in action. I watched from afar, from here, as the red farm girl turned the Princess and the Hero upon each other. It worked… deviously."

Ganon smiled grimly and spoke with no small degree of caution. "Thank you, my lord."

"Of course, fate will attempt to bring them together once again."

"Actually, my lord, I have set minions to destroy them once they-"

" _Silence_!" The tall being's roar echoed across the infinite sea of blackness, each tossing wave reflecting the cry. "You impetuous fool! Can you not see?! She has already escaped!"

Suddenly, a bright light shattered the dome of their dark world. A crack in the sky, then several more, collapsing into a single golden triangle that chased the darkness away. The faint outlines of two others were visible next to it, one beside and one above. The top triangle radiated the same dark energies of the world around it, while the bottom-right remained lifeless, dormant.

Ganon let out a gasp, momentarily letting his guard down. That was enough. The demon lord Demise rushed over and clutched the teenager's neck between his grotesque clawed hands. "You have let her awaken her Triforce!" he cried. "You _fool_!"

Ganon collapsed to the ground, clambering for air. While he writhed, Demise continued. "You know as well as I that Wisdom and Courage together can defeat Power. It has happened every time… _every time_ before for _centuries_!"

He slowly lowered his raised hand and stared at his faithful disciple. "Ganon," he said softly, "do not fail me again. The line of dark kings will not be broken with your mistake."

Somehow, his lowered voice was even more unnerving than his raised one. "This time, we will succeed. Continue using the blond rich girl and the red one. They will make perfect manipulators for the Hero. With one against him, and one for him, we can truly make him believe anything."

Summoning the courage or perhaps foolishness, to speak again, Ganon said, "My lord, what if… what if the girls see through it?"

The dark figure crossed his arms, intrigued for once instead of instantly enraged. Ganon continued, "They could always resist my bribes."

Demise slowly chuckled. His booming laugh dripped with malice as it ended in a demonic crescendo that resonated across the void. "Resist your bribes?! They are but mortal girls, Ganon, not even yet fully grown. Your promises of power will control the blonde, while speech of lust for the Hero will entice the red one into complying."

The dark lord swung his arm around his incarnation's shoulders in a motion that was less than friendly. "You _will_ succeed," he growled threateningly. "The females are key to our plan. If they resist, and the Hero is allowed to discover his power…"

Ganon understood all too well. "I will not fail, my king." He stepped back, bowed hastily, and evaporated into the ashen sky.

The flaming mane of Demise flickered slightly in the light of the triangle, still shining from above. "My king," he mused thoughtfully. "Yes. I may not have been in my time, but when you succeed, my humble acolyte," he chuckled…

"I will indeed rule the world."

 **Sorry for the cliché ending line! Once again, this chapter ties into some content planned later, so don't theorize about it too much yet. I also appreciate reviews more than Demise loves power, so please do it!**


	23. Chapter 23

**GUYS: My Gerudo Link fic is out! It's called Desert Wind and go read the prologue and review it please please pleeeease! Other than that, this chapter is a deep one. Most of you will be very happy it finally arrived.**

 **To ShadowDankDog: Me too, and thanks for reviewing!**

 **To darkerthanlight: Yeah, really, but he's still reincarnating like never before. Also, nice line.**

 **To Sheya: Thanks! I haven't seen you around, are you a new reader?**

 **To Amelia F: Heh heh heh, I hope so, he seems pretty smart so far. :)**

 **To Guesty: Thank you! Suspense makes a story worth coming back to.**

 **To Ur fan: Yeah, I thought it would be cool if his reincarnation talked to him to explain his plan without monologue-ing. Also, are you MY fan or just a fan of whoever you're reviewing?**

 **Saturday – Zelda's POV – Ordon Avenue**

I woke up this morning feeling just as bone-tired and exhausted as I had been the night before. Apparently sleep had no effect on exhaustion beyond my physical body.

Oh, that's right. I was magically tired, and it was a strange feeling. It's different from being physically sleepy, but similar at the same time. Your body still functions fine, full of energy, but it's like something inside you has died and you just don't have the willpower to move around. Your magic also doesn't regenerate with sleep like regular energy, according to Sheik and Impa.

They're the reason I know about all this magic stuff, and much more. After the massive revelation that Link, Ganon, and I were legends reborn, they decided I needed to embrace my powers and learn how to use them before Ganon made his move. So every minute of the rest of Friday was spent practicing magic of all kinds. Conjuring fire, freezing water, blossoming plants, and other elemental skills were worked into my hands and head until I could do them in my sleep.

With a quick dart of my eyes around the room, I could see I probably _had_ been doing them in my sleep. Small black scorch marks and a curious glow permeated the room's walls, presumably the work of Fire and Spirit magic.

However, there was one magic that I couldn't tell if I had done it sleeping or not: Time. Once again according to my teachers, I was most powerful in the area of Time magic, they had called me one of the Seven Sages.

One last thing I discovered was that my mom, Impa, was also a Sage. At first, I was outraged and confused. How could she have kept this from me all these years, pretending to be my mother and secretly preparing me for the day I would be trained in magic?! But then I realized that she _was_ still my mother, and that she really did bring me up as her own normal child even knowing that I was destined for greater things. This really touched me when she had explained it, and I focused extra hard on her magical lessons after that.

Yawning and forcing myself with no small mental effort out of bed, I crawled to the door and down the stairs. My father hadn't come home last night, probably out on a business trip or something. It was Saturday, and normally I would spend the day with Link and his friends.

 _Link,_ I sighed, _I wish he was here_. Before all the hectic events of this week, I remembered that special moment we had shared on Sunday, not even a week ago. Making up my mind, I swung the door open and crossed the short length of grass that separated out houses wearing only sweatpants and a t-shirt. Link deserved to know, I reasoned, he would begin his own training soon enough.

Approaching the wooden door, I raised my fist to knock, but hesitated. What if he didn't accept me? Or worse, if he didn't believe me at all? The thought of his trivial test grade, subdued by matters of far more importance, didn't even cross my mind as I banged on the door.

It swung open quickly for someone who usually wasn't up at eight o'clock in the morning. With a slight sinking of my heart, I realized it was Aryll. Now I had to explain to her why I was here so early, and frankly, I had forgotten about her for a while.

"Oh!" she stammered, obviously surprised. "Um, what's up?"

"I came to see Link," I explained. "Is he around?"

Aryll's face shifted almost imperceptibly, her smile creasing at the edges as it turned from friendly to fake. "I- I don't…" I raised an eyebrow curiously, causing her face to fully slump into a frown. "I don't really think he wants to see you right now."

I took a small step back onto their stone porch. "Why? Has something happened?" I thought maybe he was just worried about me disappearing yesterday, since I hadn't gone back to school, but wouldn't that make him _want_ to see me? To make sure I was okay?

Aryll put her hands on her hips, frown deepening by the moment. Soon she was full-on glaring at me. "Listen, I don't know what your deal is, coming over here this morning and wanting to talk to him. I tried to be nice, but you wouldn't take the hint."

My eyes widened and I shook my head, astonished. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" She threw her hands up into the air. "I can't believe you have the _nerve_ to show your face after doing that to him! Without Malon, he would've broken down completely by now!"

My mind went blank. There was a lot to process in that speech, but for some unfathomable reason, Malon's name was the only one I caught on to. "Uh, Malon?"

"Yes, Malon! After his most trusted friend and neighbor, you betrayed him! Now she's comforting him, being the friend _you_ should've been for him!" Aryll looked on the verge of tears now. "Listen, I'm not one to get angry. I don't want to fight you or anything, but you hurt my brother! I would never get mad at someone for doing something like that to me, but he's more broken up than you think." She took a deep breath. "It's not about the test, Zelda. It's about you."

I was about to cry, too, and I didn't even have a clue what was going on. I wanted to see Link, to talk to him face-to-face, but part of me knew Aryll was telling the truth. She wouldn't lie to me, and if she was that distraught over whatever it was, surely Link was too. Whatever happened, a noble voice in my head was glad that Malon was comforting him, but most of me seethed with jealousy. At least one thing Aryll said was right, _I_ should be the friend comforting him right now.

But from the looks of things, I was instead the cause of this problem. And marching across the grass, still wet from morning dew, I resolved to fix it.

 **Satuday – Link's POV – Ordon Avenue**

Aryll came inside and trudged up the stairs to my room, where Malon had crashed for the night. Her parents were out of town, so she had come over to hang out and ended up staying over. It wasn't awkward, I don't think, but my other friends would probably have something to say about it come Monday.

Back to Aryll, my sister gently pushed open the door and I immediately took in her red-rimmed eyes. Without asking, I held out an arm and embraced her before she started crying into my shoulder. I knew Zelda had come to the door, probably tried to make excuses or apologize, but I knew better than that.

Some infatuated part of me was still crying out Zelda's innocence, that I should just talk to her and give her a chance, but alas. My emotions were still too clouded to consider options like that, so for now, I comforted Aryll and waited for Malon to wake up.

When she did a few minutes later, my sister had taken her place in sleep in my arms. Quietly, I laid her down on my bed and followed the red-headed girl out into the upstairs hall. We silently walked down the stairs only to collapse once again on the living room couch, simply considering all the events of the past twenty-four hours.

It was going to be another long day.

 **Saturday – Malon's POV – Ordon Avenue**

I can't. I can't do it.

He looks so broken, so shattered, so betrayed laying there on the couch.

I feel the same way. I used him, played him right into my hands. Link had trusted me without a second thought, probably too consumed with loss to question my immediate support. After all, he had always relied on me as a friend before.

And that was what did it for me. He relied on me without even resisting, knowing that he could lean on my shoulder like he always had been able to. And I _used_ him. I thought I cared about him, and this would make him care about me.

But seeing him broken on the couch revealed another thing to me: that he had always cared about me. Those times when he had been broken before: when I comforted him after his breakup with Ilia, when he'd broken his leg after falling down a hill and I had stayed by his hospital bed, when I'd helped him fix his truck in the pouring summer rain.

He had cared about me, truly, as a friend, but nothing more. And now, thanks to my own jealousy and unhappiness, I had lost that trust too. Without dwelling on it even longer, I took a deep breath and did something I never thought I'd willingly do: I ended my friendship with Link.

 **Cliffhangers arrive once again. Review.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey all, slight delay this week because of… stuff. But never fear! I predict this story should come to a close by the end of June, and then I can completely focus on Desert Wind (and maybe ACC too but I'd rather not touch that).**

 **To Arora Woodmnyx: Heh, glad my cliffhangers have some effect.**

 **To Guesty: Nice review format, creative and fun to read. Glad you're so impressed!**

 **To ShadowDankDog: I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, I have no idea where I was going with those. It was just kind of a space filler at the beginning of the story and I may or may not go anywhere with it.**

 **To Walker's Annoying Voice: Gasp indeed! I guess this chapter will answer that.**

 **To Amelia F: Yeah, everything's a bit mixed up right now! Hopefully it gets better soon :(**

 **To El Presidente: Woah, you actually LIKED that fic? I only wrote a thousand words or so but still! I felt like it was a big failure but maybe if I get some more feedback like yours I'll pick it up again.**

 **To Zelink221: Good to see you reading!**

 **To Ai Star: Me too, she just wanted to be with Link more than anything.**

 **To darkerthanlight: Yeah you're right, the burder of being a hero could backfire and make him sadder than he already is. Good point.**

 **Saturday – Link's POV – Ordon Avenue**

My eyes drifted from their place locked on the ceiling, attracted to the only slight movement in the room. Malon was shifting around on the couch across from me, trying to get comfortable. She looked slightly nervous about something.

Shaking my head slightly to get out of my stupor, I asked, "What's up?" I added dryly, "Besides the obvious, I mean."

"Link-" her voice broke and I immediately reached out an arm to comfort her, only to have it pushed away. "No," she said, more strongly now, "I have… I have to do this myself."

"Malon," I said incredulously, "what're you talking about? What do you have to do yourself?" What could she possibly be thinking about?

"Link," she started again. "There's something I have to tell you."

Again I tried to interrupt, but she raised up a firm hand to stop me. "Please, just listen. If I don't tell you now, I don't think I'll ever have the courage to. Because… because of what you'll think of me."

Bewildered, I slumped back down onto the cloth armrest and listened as she revealed one of the most shocking things that had happened in my entire life. "I- I lied," she began, "about everything. I ruined your test, I put your friends in danger, and I ruined my own relationship with you in the process."

Now I had to intervene. "Malon, none of this was your fault, you can't blame yourself-"

Rapidly, she stood. "But it _was_!"

I had never heard such force come out of her timid mouth. Taking advantage of my shocked state, she pushed onward. "I was the one that got your test grade lowered. I was the one that put Zelda in danger. And _I_ was the one that made you feel so... so _miserable_!"

Throughout this, I wanted to say so many things, but my own lips would not obey me. So I was forced by my own will to sit there and endure this painful betrayal.

"Let me start at the beginning." She gave me one last woeful glance before settling her eyes on the floor, where they remained for the duration of her explanation. "And I'll hold nothing back. You deserve only the truth now."

"When Zelda showed up, I thought nothing of it at first. I only expected her to be another new neighbor. But when she was so suddenly and warmly incorporated into our group of friends… which has been without a new member since _elementary school_ , I might add… I began to grow suspicious. Or perhaps that's not the right word."

"Jealousy. Yes, that's it, I was jealous of Zelda. She had come in with all her perfectly executed girl-next-door charms, and you had fallen for them hook, line, and sinker. In two short weeks, she undid years of effort on my part. Years of getting you to really notice me, think of me as more than a friend. Someone who you could lean on in your darkest times of need."

"So one day, I was running through the halls, tears staining my face, when I ran into Ganon. Surprisingly enough, he knew what I was going through. He put my hatred of Zelda into words, seemingly right out of my own mouth. So we set up a plan: he would sabotage your test, knowing we would all go looking for the culprit the next week. Then, when Zelda and I went out, he ambushed her. And I led her willingly into it."

"But after seeing the devastating effect my actions had on you, all of them, I couldn't take it. I realized that this whole time, I _was_ a friend that you could lean on in your darkest times of need. I _was_ someone you could rely on. And with my own jealousy, I destroyed that trust. Here I am now, pushing you away from me for good, but at least now my conscience is clear."

Her red hair bobbed as she turned and hid her tears from me. She strode out the door, but paused in the doorway at the last second. "I know you won't be able forgive me. No one would. But please, Link, at least try to see why I did it. Don't deny Zelda the same happiness that I denied myself."

"I can see it in her eyes, Link. She likes you, a lot. Don't leave her for _anyone_."

Those were the last words I heard from Malon before she disappeared from my life forever.

 **Saturday – Ganon's POV – Gerudo Storage Warehouse**

For the past few hours, or at least since those miserable wretches Cia and Zant failed to keep Zelda here, we've been using the warehouse as a base of operations. We had set up more lights, of course, and reinforced the front door. But other than that it was still the same concrete-lined box.

That's assuming, of course, you don't count the swirling dark energy permeating the very air inside. Assuming you don't count the blood red runes glowing and throbbing in a circle on the floor. And assuming you don't count the massive swirling dark portal suspended a few feet off the floor.

Several of Demise's acolytes, Cia and Zant included, were splayed prostrate in front of the portal, each seated atop a red rune. The small group of people had sacrificed a portion of their very life force to summon even a bit of dark energy forth from the Sacred Realm, the former land of the Goddesses that had been corrupted by a long ancestor of mine. Some outlandish rumors say the goddesses are hiding out here in Hyrule, perhaps even at our own Hyrule Academy.

I myself pondered these rumors from the second-story balcony, observing this strange ritual from a distance above the ground. Demise had made it clear that the portal would not be enough to summon the dark lord himself from within, but would allow Ganon to draw dark energies from inside as well as bring several varieties of monsters forth to help his takeover of modern Hyrule.

Ah, yes, the takeover. My fabulous future awaited me, perhaps even within a week. Soon all of this land will be covered in darkness, spewing forth from portals like this one, each offering globs of the Sacred Realm's power to myself and my acolytes.

That wasn't the only power I sought, however. I also searched tirelessly for the Triforce pieces. Already I had found that Zelda, being the current incarnation of the Princess, bore the piece of wisdom. However, she had escaped (those stupid minions) before I could arrive and claim it for myself. As for Courage… well, I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.

Slowly, the front door began to slide open beneath my feet, allowing midmorning light to come flooding in. I instantly began to climb down the ladder to investigate. The visitor was unexpected but welcome.

"Ah, Malon," I greeted, "how fares our green-clad boyfriend?"

"It's over, Ganon."

 _This_ was new. My sadistic grin immediately shifted along with my eyebrows, drawn together to create an expression of bewilderment and anger simultaneously. "Um, sorry, I'm afraid I don't quite comprehend."

"I said it's over. I told him everything."

Hmm. An unexpected development indeed. Oh, well, I suppose a little more dark energy couldn't hurt. Waving a hand toward my hunched servants, I announced, "take her to the portal."

While most victims of this incredibly painful torture would cry out or at least grimace, this peculiar redhead did not. She did not cry out as she was dragged to the swirling vortex, nor as it consumed her very soul to feed my dark power.

Defiant to the end, I suppose.

 **Oh, NO! Malon's dead?! Even though I'm sure some of you thought she deserved it, we got to see a lot more detail into Ganon's plan now. For some sadistic reason, I absolutely loved writing this part. I really do plan to end this story by July, so keep on reviewing before it's over!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey, hey, hey, look who's back again. I don't even have a generic excuse for being absent this long, so just read this chapter and be happy. You might have to go back and re-read the story so far if you've forgotten what's going on, I sure did in order to write this chapter.**

 **Fanfiction also screwed up again and sent me completely jumbled review notifications. So I'd like to offer a general but heartfelt thank-you to everyone who continues to read and review. Your support means everything to me.**

 **Saturday – Zelda's POV – Ordon Avenue**

 _What happened? Where did I go wrong?_ Thoughts swirled through my head like leaves in a storm. I was still utterly clueless to what was going on with Link, but I had gotten over my original reaction. With my emotions in check, I could hopefully begin to sort out what in Goddess' name was going on.

With Sheik and Impa both gone for various reasons, the knock echoed through my empty house, magnified by the sharp angles and absent insulation of the walls. Startled, I froze for a second, knowing that it could only be someone from the house next door. I briefly considered ignoring the knock, but as the pounding on the door became louder and more desperate, I knew the person wouldn't go easily.

Preparing to face the wrath of Aryll or even Malon, I put on my best self-confident scowl. Whoever came through that door was going to answer my questions or never leave. But as I reached for the knob and twisted it, the green t-shirted heap that fell and knocked me to the ground with it made all my mental defenses crumble.

Spluttering, I managed to breathe long enough to shout, "Link?!"

Quickly clambering off me, he rose up onto his knees and placed his hands on my shoulders and leaned his face close to mine. It might have been romantic, if we both weren't confused and sweating bullets at the sight of each other.

"Zelda!" He shouted back, which paired with his hands on my shoulders, made it seem as if he was confirming my presence in front of him. "I'm… I'm sorry!"

With that, we both pulled each other into a comforting hug. His tone said everything.

After a minute or so of blissful reunion, he drew back and composed himself. "Listen, I had no idea what was happening until now. I think we should both tell each other our side of the story."

I nodded my agreement. We sat on the couch beside each other, and I decided to go first. "It all started when Malon and I went to see Ilia…"

 _I spotted Ilia first, sitting in a chair behind a shelf of books to our left. She was reading some kind of romance novel, it looked like. I made a pointing motion with my hand. Malon nodded, and we burst into the space with as much authority as we could muster. Unfortunately, for two short girls, that wasn't much._

 _Ilia glanced up from her book, her expression bored and completely unintimidated by our entrance. "What do you want?" Then, her face changed. I could barely see it, in the dim light where we were standing between the bookshelves, but it was there alright._

 _She whirled around towards the completely black end of the library, near the wall where the dim lights never touched, and whispered, "Now!"_

 _Without warning, two kids clad completely in black, like ninjas, jumped out and grabbed me. The first yanked my body into the dark corner of the library, while the second covered my mouth and nose with a strange-smelling cloth. In seconds, I had slumped in their arms._

"And that's all I remember," I finished. It felt a little short for such a dramatic moment.

Link wasn't satisfied. "What happened next? Where did you wake up?"

 _Oh._ Hmm. That would be an issue wouldn't it? I mean, I get that Link is the Hero of Time and all, but Impa didn't specify if I was supposed to tell him about his training yet. "Oh, um, back here, at my house, where Impa took care of me for the rest of the day."

He looked slightly skeptical but mostly sympathetic of my situation. Every time I had to come up with another _stupid_ lie, it killed me a little inside. I had just gotten Link back, for Goddess' sakes, and now I had to put up another façade. I wondered, back in the deepest recesses of my soul, when Link and I would finally be able to be honest with each other. I yearned, more than anything, really, to talk to him without boundaries, without lies. I only wondered if he would feel the same toward me when he found out that I had been lying to him.

 **Saturday – Link's POV – Ordon Avenue**

Ah, what a crazy Saturday this has been. It's barely past ten and I've already had my emotions used more than in the rest of my entire life. Somehow, though, at the end of it all, I'm happy. The only thing I really wished for, throughout this whole ordeal, was to have Zelda and I be honest with each other. I never believed, truly, that she had betrayed me, and I'm glad we could now be honest and open with each other. _No more secrets._

After she had told me all she knew about yesterday's events, I told my side of the story.

 _The final bell had rung just a few minutes ago, and Darunia, Malon, and I were off to confront two certain people about the disappearance of a certain other person. Surprisingly, we found the two of them together._

 _Ganon was leaning against the brick outer wall of the school while Ilia talked to him animatedly about something. He looked bored, and she looked agitated. Darunia cleared his throat, and she spun around, while he just gave us a bored glance._

 _"_ _Don't sneak up on people like that!" She scolded, obviously flustered._

 _"_ _What do you losers want?" Ganon pitched in helpfully._

 _Darunia folded his arms menacingly. "We're here about Zelda. We know you have something to do with it."_

 _Ilia's face softened. "Oh, that."_

 _"_ _Yes, that!" I snapped. "What do you have to say about it?!"_

 _"_ _I'm sure Malon's already told you," Ilia said, gesturing behind me. "But I know Zelda sabotaged your test. When I saw her and recognized her, she bolted."_

 _"_ _But how did you see her?"_

 _Ganon pushed off the wall and spoke. "That would be me that saw her, actually. My friends and I were headed to Shad's room that night to fix my own test grade."_

 _Darunia smirked. "Goddesses know why you'd need to do that."_

 _Ganon shot him a glare and continued. "When we were at the end of the hallway, Ilia and I, that is, we saw a girl come out of the room. Curious, we followed her and when she walked past a light..."_

 _"_ _Hold on," I held up a hand, "Ilia was with_ you _?"_

 _Ilia's scowl returned. "Yeah, why do you care who I hang out with?"_

 _"_ _No reason." I didn't want to imply that I actually did care, I was just suspicious._

 _"_ _Anyway," Ganon continued, "I hate to be helping you, Greenie, but even I've gotta tell the truth."_

 _"_ _Likely," Darunia snorted again._

 _"_ _Are you just here to crack jokes, Rock Man?" Ganon snapped. "Because if so, you'd probably like to leave before I stop being amused."_

 _"_ _You don't scare me, Hothead."_

 _I realized this was going nowhere. "C'mon, Darunia, we got what we needed to know. No need for a staredown."_

 _He nodded, reluctantly taking his eyes off Ganon. I led the trio away, thinking about what I'd heard. Malon alone wasn't enough for me to believe it, but two other people saw her too?_

"Wow," Zelda breathed. A second later, her face contorted into rage. "Those… those thieving, lying, kidnapping _devils!_ "

I put a light hand on her back. "Hey, I get it. They convinced me as much as they convinced you."

Her face changed once again, this time to worry. She subconsciously leaned a little more into me as she confessed, "I'm a little scared. Something's going on that even we don't know about yet. How could a kid like Ganon have the resources to kidnap someone inside a school with hundreds of people?"

I agreed with her. "With Malon… out of the picture," I said with a grimace, "who can we trust now? I mean, I hate to say this, but which of our friends can we believe?"

She turned her head slowly and looked into my eyes with those electric violet irises. Damn, whatever she said next was going to stick with me for the rest of my _life_.

"We can always depend on each other."

It did.

 **Please review, and I don't mind if you flame me for being weeks late. I deserve it.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Alright readers, *cracks knuckles* looks like we're back in action with this one. Turns out it only took a helpful reminder from SuicideGuy to realize that people still actually are waiting for my story. The fact that people want to read what I put out is still kind of weird. I'm hoping that eventually when I finish this I can work on Desert Wind, too, although something tells me not as many people will like that.**

 **A genuine and heartfelt thanks to each and every one of my readers and especially my reviewers, most especially Walker's Annoying Voice and Aubreylovesthegames. Those two have reviewed on almost every chapter since the early days.**

 **Onward! One last thing, I suggest you read the story back from the beginning before going on to this chapter. That's what I did.**

 **Saturday – Zelda's POV – Hyrule Academy**

After Link and I had returned from our emotional chat session, we decided to head to school and begin unraveling the mystery. A scene from back during my first week of school came to me, where we all met at Ruto's house after the Hot Spring incident with Ganon. We had all put our hands together and pledged to take him down.

No one but Sheik had known just how much we were promising to do back then, and now I do too. We'll have to tell Link and the others, soon, because we need to prepare them to fight the demon king and his incarnation. From what my mom told me, Ganon's probably off opening dark portals or something right now.

We were currently standing in the courtyard, obviously deserted as it was the weekend. We'd phoned the rest of the gang on the way there, and Sheik was currently the only one standing there. Only I now knew how he got there so quickly.

"Hey, Sheik. Thanks for coming." Link said, his voice not as strong as it had been before all this chaos. I gave Sheik a small private nod, which he only returned with the gleam of his crimson eyes.

Darunia rolled up on his motorbike soon after. The overcast sky made his sunglasses look even darker. Once the rumbling engine shut off, he strode over to us.

"Link! Glad you've finally got this sorted out, I guess." He leaned down close to me, the first time I'd ever seen him at eye level. "Zelda," he began. "I think I speak for the group when I say how sorry I am for doubting you. You've been a loyal friend since the beginning, and we should've known better than to trust Ganon over you."

I nodded, my face softening. "Yeah!" cried an enthusiastic Ruto. Apparently she had been riding behind him on the motorcycle and had just stuck behind him.

Nabooru came jogging into the grass, wearing a ratty t-shirt and sweats. "Oh, good, did you already apologize? I'm glad I don't have to do it myself." Classic blunt Nabooru.

"Well," Link said. "Where's Malon?"

A look of surprise crossed each of our faces. "Why?" asked Ruto, voicing the whole group's opinion. "Didn't you say over the phone she helped Ganon lie to you?"

Link's eyes grew downcast. "I know. I just… I kinda feel bad for her. I can see her side of the story, you know? And I want to hear it from her."

I nodded understandingly. "That's fair. Although none of us think she deserves it."

So we waited.

Five minutes passed, then ten, then twenty.

"I'll call her again," Link announced, interrupting our quiet conversation. The wind had died down, casting an eerie silence over the whole neighborhood.

The phone rang without answer. We all tried calling her with ours, but no one answered.

After a half hour had passed, Darunia stood up. "I don't think she's coming, guys."

Everyone nodded. "Well," Sheik cut in, "our objective was to trace Zelda's route and try to uncover more details of Ganon's plot, correct? I suggest we go to the warehouse."

Wordlessly, everyone except Darunia and Ruto piled into Link's truck. "We'll follow behind you," they called once her arms were secured around his waist.

After driving for a few minutes, there was evidently something wrong. Nabooru cleared her throat. "Um, you know how it got super quiet a while back? I think I know why." She indicated the empty road in front of us. "No cars."

The girl was right. The main road in the city was completely deserted. Traffic lights stayed on green, a street sign swung creakily. "More importantly," I added, "no people."

 **Saturday – Link's POV – Gerudo Storage Center**

"Well," I announced after climbing out of the truck. "This is the place."

My friends and I gazed around at the maze of storage rooms. They stretched almost to the edge of my vision, all identical metal garages.

"Geez," remarked Ruto, who had come to stand beside us. "That's a lot of rooms."

There were five reluctant nods. "Better get cracking," I took a breath. "Maybe we'll find out why it's so qui-WHAT IS THAT?!"

Ruto screamed. Darunia shifted into a defensive stance, shielding her. Link and I took a step back. Sheik threw up his black hoodie but otherwise stood his ground.

Lumbering toward us on the dirt-paved ground was a monster, with no other way to describe it. It was humanoid, short and chubby. It wore leather pants and no shirt, and it's dirty white hair was tied into a knot. It carried a crude wooden club in its pale orange hand.

Upon seeing us jump back, it turned and made a high-pitched cry of some kind while brandishing the wooden club. It wasn't sharp but could definitely knock us out with a well-placed blow to the head. Except Darunia. He was probably made of rocks.

"Looks like we found why it's quiet around here," Sheik observed bluntly. "These guys probably either scared away or captured everyone in the town."

It wouldn't be too hard. No one expected a monster to show up out of nowhere, and our police force was barely strong enough to fight off a few burglars. The crime rate in Hyrule was also at a record low, so security would be nonexistent on most buildings.

"Damn it," Sheik spoke again. This was the most I'd heard him say in a while. "Undoubtedly they have been watching us since we left. There are most likely several more lying in wait nearby. Our best chance of survival is in the truck."

A quick whirl around changed that plan. "No good," cried Zelda worriedly, "they're already there!" One of the goblin-esque things had begun beating the chassis.

"My car!" I yelled. The thing turned but continued hitting it. Not soon after, smoke began pouring out of the hood and a loud groan came from our only escape route.

 _Not our only one_ , I thought. _But Darunia's motorcycle can only hold two people._

We could send two people out, but where would they go? To the police? The monsters were probably everywhere. We had to stand our ground and fight.

"This is it, people!" I shouted, my voice finally regaining my trademark confidence. "We can take them! We outnumber them three to one!"

Sheik silently indicated two more emerging from the shadows of a storage compartment, one wielding what looked like a Hero of Time-era bow. "We are currently in a very dangerous situation," he mumbled to himself, eyes darting to and from each goblin. They were at bay for now, but how long before they realized we had no weapons?

"Uh, Zelda?" I voiced to my right. "Hate to tell you this, but we might not get out of this one. We've got no weapons."

"That's not true," she said quietly to herself, obviously deep in thought. Then, louder, she pronounced, "That's not true! We do have a weapon! Sheik!"

Sheik craned his neck to look at her. His face narrowed. "Zelda, are you sure now is the time to reveal such things? We may yet have need of waiting."

"What?" Ruto cowered from behind Darunia. "If you've got something, Sheik, now's the time to use it!"

"Yeah, Sheik, you kinda have to!" I pleaded. "Whatever you're 'revealing,' you can trust us with it!"

Sheik was still conflicted. "It's not what _I'm_ revealing, Link." His eyes looked away from mine for perhaps the first time I'd ever seen. "It's what might awaken inside of you…"

The strangely colored creatures screeched again, nostalgically reminding me of the tardy bell. Waving their clubs in the air, they began charging at us in unison. The fourth one with the bow drew back a stone-tipped arrow. It was crude, but at this range, it would be near impossible to miss.

The world went into slow motion.

Ruto screamed.

Darunia's face tightened in apprehension.

Nabooru began backpedaling behind us, forgetting the one still by my truck.

Sheik was still just standing there, hands outstretched, desperately trying to keep the monsters at bay but still not using whatever his secret weapon was.

I turned hopelessly to look and possibly hold Zelda, thinking this was the end.

Zelda's face was scrunched not in fear, but in concentration. Her hands were outstretched like Sheik's, but less in self-defense and more in… I didn't know. It was as if she was trying to gather some kind of power in her palms.

And the stranger thing was that for once, she wasn't behind me. In fact, she had stepped in front of me, trying to call on whatever power to protect us all. I simply stood there silently, looking at her cascading golden hair, flowing down her back, face so determined and unshakable. This is what I really saw in Zelda. Not the shy, apprehensive city girl but someone with real fire inside.

I was only proven more right when fire erupted from her hands.

 **Welcome back. Please review.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hahahahaha *crazed laughter* I love getting reviews! You all are the best. Needless to say updates won't be as frequent as they were… you know… because school… but still I will make a valiant effort.**

 **To SuicideGuy: Thanks for the feedback! You really did save the fic for everyone else :/ and your review was hilarious, thanks for making me smile :)**

 **To lottyyh: Welcome back! Glad you liked my dramatic re-entry into the story.**

 **To Ai Star: Yup.**

 **In reponse to the multitudinous reviews from Z the guest: Wow! It sure takes a lot of devotion to read my entire fic in a night, although I have done that to others. I hope to keep hearing your feedback on this and my other stories!**

 **Like I said, I really hope I can finally write Desert Wind after I finish this. Although this was my first planned full-length fic, that story is my true goal and I have an outline for it as long as this entire piece practically (It will contain much more Zelink than this, also). Anyways, please continue to review and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Saturday – Zelda's POV – Gerudo Storage**

"Din's FIRE!" I screamed as a plume of molten flame erupted from my hands. The heat, even with my head turned away, was almost unbearable. I had just learned magic 24 hours ago, after all, and I hadn't had time to control it.

While casting the destructive wave, the Triforce symbol on my hand began to glow brighter and brighter until it outshined the fire itself, dulling all light but its own. In the far reaches of my vision not blinded by the light, I saw my friends shield their eyes and fall to the ground. All except Link, who, to my surprise, was simply staring in dumbstruck wonderment.

After seconds that felt like an eternity, I slowly regained control of my powers. My hand ceased to shine, and the fire slowly sputtered into nothingness. The formerly dirt ground was scorched to nothing but black ash in a wide cone, reaching all the way to the front of a storage compartment, where the metal was warped with heat. There was no sign of the bokoblins or their weapons.

I could see Ruto crawling out from behind Darunia, and Nabooru dusting herself off. Once the shock had worn off, Sheik ran over to me and grabbed my face with soot-covered hands.

An expression of panic was on his face, another rare emotion reflected in his crimson eyes. "What… what have you done?"

 _Um, what? Didn't I just save all of you?_ I was about to voice this complaint until I followed his pointing finger to my right and saw Link.

He was no longer looking at me, but gazing in wonderment down at his own glowing Triforce. Once he sensed me looking, he found my eyes and grinned. "Isn't this cool?"

 _Of all the things he could say. Oh, Link, whatever are we going to do with you._ I couldn't help but smile along with him, but that little moment was short-lived as Sheik shook my face once again, which was getting annoying.

"Zelda!" his normally low tenor rose to a crescendo. "Do you realize what you've done?! What did Impa tell you? Under _no_ circumstances, _ever_ , can we let Link's magic awaken!"

I crossed my arms and looked down on his black hoodie, perhaps two inches taller. "Look, is it really such a bad thing? We could use another magic-user to defend ourselves against Ganon. How were the two of us supposed to fight him, anyway?"

Before Sheik could reply, Ruto scurried over to me and squealed while trying to sound intimidating. "Zelda, Sheik, quit arguing and tell me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

"Yeah," said Nabooru with a just a hint of curiosity. "You kinda just shot fire out of your hands, one of which glowed so bright I can barely see shapes."

Darunia rumbled up behind both of them, adding an imposing backdrop to the circle surrounding me. "I, for one, am also confused. You're… magic?"

I glanced hopelessly at Sheik for help, but to no avail. He was still staring in half amazement and fury at me for some reason.

Finally, Link approached us all. "Uh, my hand was glowing too. Zelda, can I do fire too?"

"Wait just a minute," Ruto snapped. "How come you get to learn fire just because your hand glows."

"Ahem," Nabooru cleared her throat. "We still don't have an explanation for _why_ Zelda can shoot fire out of her hands."

Realizing there was no way out, I told them the rest of what happened on Friday.

 _"_ _No," she said firmly, "I mean, they're still true."_

 _"_ _Uh, what?"_

 _"_ _You see," Sheik cut in, "the Hero never stopped reincarnating. He just only appeared whenever Hyrule was in great danger. There just hasn't been any evil beings since a few hundred years ago."_

 _Impa nodded. "Until now, of course."_

 _"_ _Uh, what?" I was starting to sound like a broken record._

 _She continued. "Your friend, Link, is the Hero of Time." Before I could interrupt, she barged on. "Don't think I haven't noticed the Triforce on both of your hands. And you forgot to clear your search history on the laptop."_

 _I was too bewildered to consider that. "So it really was the Triforce. That means…"_

 _A few uncomfortable glances were exchanged. Finally, Sheik confirmed it. "Yes, you are the Princess of Destiny. The Sage of Time reborn into the modern age."_

 _I desperately peered at my mom, looking for any sign that this was all some insane conspiracy, but she bore the same expression as my red-eyed friend: dashes of sorrow and compassion, but mainly a big pool of urgency, as if something important needed to be done._

"Woah, woah, woah," Link said, holding up a hand, which was no longer glowing. "So _I'm_ the legendary Hero of Time? Reborn into modern Hyrule?" He stared down at his tattooed hand again in bewilderment.

"Yes," Sheik confirmed after a moment. "Link and Zelda have both awoken their Triforce pieces, and their magical ability can be used. Unfortunately, as we are currently in the middle of Ganon's attack, they have received minimal training in controlling such magic."

"If they've never been taught how to use it," Ruto eyed me suspiciously, "then how was Zelda able to cast such a huge flame?"

"Magic power that comes from the Triforce, luckily, is triggered not by control but loss of it, in a way. Very strong emotions can cause the Goddesses' blessings to come through regardless of whether you intended."

"So basically," Darunia pondered, "Zelda was able to burn those goblin things-"

"Bokoblins," Sheik corrected. "Monsters created by Ganon."

"Right, but she was able to burn them because she felt something really strong. Like anger or wanting to protect us."

"Exactly. But on the downside, whenever their Triforce powers are activated, it becomes very easy for Ganon's minions to find us." Sheik looked at the ground. "That's why I was hesitant to use magic in front of Link. Before, he wasn't able to find the Hero of Time…"

Nabooru's eyebrows went up slightly, the equivalent of a gasp from anyone else. "But now, Ganon knows who the third Triforce user is. And where to find him."

One by one, everyone turned to look at Link and I. I reflected on how far this group of friends had come, from days at the lake and lunchroom chatter. I wondered how much farther we'd be willing to go for each other.

There's one thing I knew for sure, though. Behind that joking and childlike façade, Link was strong. His wolfish grin and piercing icicle eyes peered out from inside him, where his true self resided. I don't think even his family knew about that. _His family…?_

"Link," I said, panic rapidly growing on my face. "Where's Aryll?"

He blanched, real fear showing through for the first time since I'd met him. "Oh, _no_ ," he whispered. "Aryll."

No one said a word until Darunia nodded his head towards the motorcycle. "Take it," he said. "Sheik, you can use magic, right?"

"Yes. I'm quite proficient."

"Good. Then you can protect us while Link and Zelda find Aryll."

Nods all around. There were no buts about it. "Stay safe, guys," I warned. "If you find Ganon… stay away."

This time, everyone but Sheik nodded. "Zelda," he started, using my name for perhaps the first time. "If we do find Ganon, our priority is to defeat him. At any cost."

I didn't reply to that. There were some prices I wasn't willing to pay, even if it meant sacrificing my friends to a dark lord.

Link will live through this.

 **Drama! Action! Suspense! Who's excited?!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Guys I'm still here I'm sorry! Although I did warn you that I wouldn't be able to keep updates coming as frequently, I still feel bad for making you wait this long. Once I start Desert Wind maybe a fresh start will keep me coming. Speaking of Desert Wind, that'll have more fluff in it. I tried to put some cute fluff in here (per reader request) but since we're at the end of the story it's kinda too late.**

 **Thanks again for all the positive reviews! This story will get done, one way or another! I swear it!**

 **Doomsday – Link's POV – Downtown Hyrule**

I revved the engine again, whipping through the twisted streets of Hyrule without any traffic to slow me down. Zelda clutched my hips as tightly as she could. I had driven merely because she had long hair and if she had driven it would be lashing my face right about now.

She leaned forward and yelled into my ear. "Link, slow down!"

I couldn't risk turning around to reply at this speed, so I simply twisted the handlebars back slightly. Still, our speed had far surpassed the usual speed limit for downtown.

But this wasn't usual downtown. Now that whatever was controlling the monsters had seen us, they weren't hiding anymore. Those discolored Bokoblins were using their bats to destroy storefronts and traffic lights and any human creation smaller than a skyscraper. They were also, to my dismay, rounding up some remaining Hylians who hadn't been caught in the first attack. Normal, regular people in their torn work clothes and skin smeared with dirt and dust.

My instincts screamed at me to help them, and I reasoned I didn't have a weapon. _Magic_ , I told myself.

Right. I'd been paying attention when Sheik said magic would just reveal my location to more and greater monsters. Speaking of those, I saw a new specimen poking Hylians on the street with a crude spear, tipped with some giant tooth or fang. It was scaly and curved, it had huge eyes colored like a psychedelic trip. When still, it twitched and bounced, as if it wasn't sure how to move its own body.

Come to think of it, the monsters all moved that way. As if they were unfamiliar with their own skin. This might have been true. If Ganon was reincarnating them from other eras, they might be unfamiliar with the surrounding environment and even their own bodies. I, to this day, still have no idea how dark spirits are resummoned, so I can't say for sure.

All this was taken in from a motorcycle whipping by at over 60 miles per hour. In a normal situation, having Zelda's arms wrapped tightly around me with her face pressed tightly into my shoulder would be incredibly distracting.

 _Damn._ Now that I'd given it thought, it _was_ distracting. There'd been so much action and turmoil over the past few days that I'd almost forgotten how close I'd become to falling for her. Almost.

Seeing a long stretch of clear, straight road ahead of us, I decided to risk a look at the beautiful girl behind me. I didn't regret it.

Zelda had first appealed to me as a shy girl coming in from an outer town into the big city. No friends, but a considerably wealthy and loving family to support her. She was surprisingly unlike the "girl next door" look despite living literally next door to me.

Now, riding behind me on an extremely fast motorcycle through a city of monsters summoned by the school bully, she looked fierce. Dirt streaked her face. Her once carefully maintained waterfall of hair was flapping behind her in the wind. What captivated me the most was her eyes… they stared right into mine. _Through_ me. They sparkled like amethyst, but were narrowed in pride and determination. She looked ready to go to war. But when she saw me, her gaze softened. She, with a single look lasting but a moment, told me she remembered all these things too. All the times we spent together. Good and bad.

She tapped me on the shoulder gently, shaking me from my awestruck stare. She managed to speak gently, quietly, directly into my ear, even though the wind still tore at my head and the engine was impossibly-

"Turn around, Link. We're about to crash."

Oh. I whirled around, already yanking the handlebars to the left and hoping it was the right direction. It was. We passed the diner in such a blur I barely registered its crooked neon sign before it passed from my vision.

"I feel it too," she said, her warm breath on my ear. "Once we get off this bike, then find Aryll, and our friends, then save the world…"

"Right." I said, disappointed despite myself. "Lovestruck staring after saving the world."

What might ordinarily have been a smack came as a rough pat to the head and ruffling of hair. "Just drive, idiot. Goddesses."

 **Doomsday – Zelda's POV – Ordon Avenue**

We pulled up in front of Link's house with the gas bordering on empty. I absentmindedly hoped that rusting truck in the driveway was fueled.

He leaped off the bike as if he'd been tensed and waiting for this moment since we started off twenty minutes ago. He reached for the doorknob, paused, then just turned around and kicked it open. Personally, I would've blasted it open with magic, but I liked his style. Who knew what might be behind his door.

"Aryll?" He called tentatively. Then, gaining confidence: "Aryll! Aryll! ARYLL!"

This went on for several minutes. He searched every room, every closet, every inch of the house and yard for any sign of his fifteen-year-old sister. Eventually, he collapsed, holding his head in his hands. I kneeled next to him, placing what I hoped was an understanding hand on his shoulder.

I say "hoped" because I honestly didn't understand. I was safe knowing my mother was one of the most adept magic users in the country and could protect my family. But Link… he never opened up about his parents. As far as I knew, they had been away on a business trip the whole time since I'd been here.

"Zelda," he said, looking up into my eyes again in a rare moment of vulnerability. "It's time I tell you about my parents."

Somehow, I refrained from breaking into a satisfied smile. This was just what I Was wondering about. Instead, I gave him a curious look.

He took a deep breath. "They're dead."

I stared for a second, my carefully crafted expression turning to a confused blink. "What?"

"Let me elaborate." He took another breath. "They've been dead for almost as long as I've known them, when I was 4 and Aryll was 2. The local orphanage took us in until I was thirteen, then I went out and bought my own house with my inheritance money. Aryll and I have been taking care of each other there ever since, and the law leaves us alone as long as we pay our taxes and stuff."

He finished with a weak grin, some of the trauma fading. "Wait until they find out what the town looks like now."

I just stared back. I wish I could think of something to say, to comfort him, but it seemed like everyone else already knew about this. I couldn't help but be angry about it. How could he hide such an important fact from me until now? Haven't we been close long enough for him to tell me that _Aryll is the only freaking family he has left?!_

"Damn," he said, reading my silently fuming face. "Shoulda told her earlier."

That lit my fuse. "Link!" I exploded. He flinched, but I didn't read the cue to stop. "How could you hide this from me?! I thought we were friends! I thought we trusted each other! How… how could you not tell me such a thing?"

His face remained downcast and unreadable before I came to my senses. "I know this isn't really the right time, considering we just made up a fight two hours ago. But…"

"I know," he said flatly. "You feel betrayed. As if we haven't been as close as you thought." A pause. "I know the feeling."

I was smart enough at least not to ask about _that_. Although emotional, I still possess some social tact. I turned away, thinking he was angry at me for my outburst. I really was ashamed of that, but I was wrong about his reaction. He was simply planning his next move. Strategizing. Weighing the odds.

So when I turned my head to look shamefully at the floorboards we were kneeling on, it gave him the perfect opportunity to make up his mind. I felt the slight, graceful touch of sensitive lips on my cheek, then his warm breath on my neck like a perfectly serene caress of wind.

 **Doomsday – Link's POV – Ordon Avenue**

Goddesses be damned I'm an idiot.


	29. Notice

Guys, I wanna get real with you for a second.

First of all, I'm sorry for putting out such a shitty chapter last time, but I was still way behind and felt like I needed to release something. The next update to this story is gonna be a revision of that one hopefully. But that really brings me to why I'm posting ANOTHER notice instead of a real chapter: this story's ending is really shitty in general. I just don't know how to end it. My original outline was lost one or two generations of laptops ago and I have no clue where I was going with it. So, I'll still finish this story, but frankly, it will probably be a lackluster ending not worthy of the first twenty or so chapters. I don't wanna use this as an excuse or anything but I'm really looking forward to a fresh start on the next story. So yeah.

You don't have to review/reply to this but just know thanks for sticking with me and I hope I can find time within a reasonable time frame to make a chapter that's quality.

Thanks,

Escae


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